Kalinga citrus growers trained on propagation

A TOTAL of 20 citrus growers from four different organizations in Kalinga attended the Package of Technology (POT) “Training on Asexual and Sexual Propagation on Citrus,” held July 12 – 13 at Tabuk Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TAMPCO) in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Rogelio Custodio, officer-in-charge of the nursery in the Bureau of Plant and Industry Cordillera Administrative Region (BPI-CAR) was tapped by the Department of Agriculture Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) as resource speaker.

Custodio delved on the topic on asexual propagation as part of the DA and BPI in the region’s program in encouraging farmers to reproduce citrus and other fruitbearing trees through budding and grafting due to the fact that it is easier than growing plants through seeds.

Grafting and budding are propagating techniques used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant. In grafting, the upper part or the so called scion of one plant grows on the root system or rootstock of another plant. Budding on the other hand is a process where a bud is taken from one plant and grown on another.

In addition, Custodio also discussed the compatibility of the stock and scion. Since grafting involves the joining of vascular tissues between the scion and rootstock, the closer two plants are genetically similar, the more likely the graft union will form.

During the second day of the POT, the participants were given the chance to visit the Provincial Nursery of Kalinga where they tried budding and grafting.

Participants were also given 4, 000 root stocks and 5,000 pieces of certified bud eye (scion) with two bags of fertilizers (46-0-0) for reconditioning of the rootstocks from DA CAR

under the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP).

Moreover, the different organizations namely Samahang Magsasaka ng Lanna, Rural Group for Transformation, Inambaran Peoples’ Organization and Puy-yaawan Jungle Association were also given one pruning shear and one budding knife each.

Rolando Renegado, technical staff from HVCDP facilitated the training which was made possible through the support of the HVCD Program of the DA-CAR. DA-CAR Release