New celery thrives very well in cooler regions
DID YOU KNOW that there is a new celery variety—longer and heavier than most without being brittle—that can grow very well in the vegetable terraces of Loo in Buguias, Benguet? The variety is the Stetham RZ F1 Hybrid Celery that was developed by the Allied Botanical Corporation (ABC) for planting in highland areas like the municipalities of Benguet.
According to Aldrin Bassit, the farm operation supervisor of ABC, the variety grows very well in the cooler regions of the country, particularly in high altitude areas where the temperature can drop between 10 to 13 degrees Celsius.
During a recent harvest event and farmers’ meeting hosted by ABC at the Loo, Buguias campus of the Benguet State University (BSU), participants witnessed how prolific the variety was, and how attractive the darker green color of its leaves was compared with the leaves and stalks of other celery varieties growing in the area.
BETTER VARIETY ABC market development technologist Jerome Becnan says that the Stetham RZ F1 Hybrid Celery is aromatic but with a light sweet taste. It features a long, heavier petiole or stalks, but is not brittle, which makes it a dark green heavyweight plant.
For his part, Bassit says that Stetham Celery has a higher recovery rate—about 85 to 90 percent—compared with other varieties which have 60 to 65 percent recovery rates.
The variety is also early maturing, which means it can be harvested in just 60 to 65 days after transplanting.
DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS Based on the field trials conducted by agronomists on several vegetable terraces in Loo, Buguias, a head or a plant of the Stetham RZ F1 Hybrid Celery variety can weigh as much as 485 grams, compared with another variety which weighed