First ever successful tissue culture system of Carabao Mango spells sweeter and prolific times aheadThe ‘Carabao’ mango, also known as Manila Super, is one of the top fruit exports of the Philippines, third to banana and pineapple, and enjoys a big market overseas. Nearly 90% of our mango export is sold in Japan and Hongkong—the gateway to the Chinese consuming market— while the rest are brought to the United States and Europe. Approximately $20M worth of Philippine mangoes was exported in 2008, according to the Department of Agriculture. One of the problems encountered in enhancing the genetic potential of the Philippine ‘Carabao’ mango through biotechnology is the difficulty in culturing the mangoes in vitro. Prof. Lilian F. Pateña, a plant physiology expert at the Crop Science Cluster (CSC) of the UPLB College of Agriculture (CA), relates that “improving the Carabao mangoes’ skin, size, and shelf life through genetic engineering would need an efficient tissue culture system.” |
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