UPLB Research and Extension News

Completing the required cycles of field tests, assessments, and official approval, the Institute of Plant Breeding is now preparing for distribution seeds of five new maize varieties with superior yields and which farmers can themselves produce.

Proceso H. Manguiat, IPB researcher in plant breeding and genetics, told the UP Newsletter that the new cultivars will go a long way in improving food production and meeting the nutritional needs of the population, especially in the corn-eating regions of the country.

Developed by the IPB maize breeding program and duly approved for distribution by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), the five new “open-pollinated cultivars” (OPCs) are Tupi Yellow (named after Tupi, South Cotabato, where the corn originated), with the commercial name of IPB Var. 9; IPB Composite 3, commercial name IBP Var. 11; IPB Composite 5, commercial name IPB Var. 13; Tupi White, commercial name IPC Var. 8; and Obatanpa or white Quality Protein Maize (QPM), commercial name IPB Var. 6.

It was found that the new OPCs consistently out-yielded the previously released USM Var. 5), as follows: Tupi Yellow, by 6.78 percent; IBP Composite 3, 7.61 percent; IPB Composite 5, 10.47 percent in Luzon and 7.36 percent in the Visayas; Tupi White, 1.11 percent; and Obatanpa, 2.59 percent. Based on field tests in different parts of the Philippines, Tupi Yellow has an average yield of 5.04 tons per hectare (t/ha) in Mindanao; IPB Composite 3, 6.58 t/ha in Luzon; IPB Composite 5, 6.75 t/ha in Luzon and 6.55 t/ha in Visayas; Tupi White, 5.75 t/ha in Luzon; and Obatanpa, 5.45 t/ha in Visayas. IPB Composites 3 and 5 and Tupi White are recommended for commercial release in Luzon; IPB Composite 5 and Obatanpa maize, in the Visayas; and Tupi Yellow, in Mindanao.

After getting NSIC approval in November 2008, the IPB is now producing seeds for release to the farmers. According to Manguiat, the seeds will be distributed to the under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) corn program. “The GMA program gives us the funds to do the research, and in return we produce the seeds. The Department of Agriculture in turn will be in charge of disseminating the seeds.”

In addition, Manguiat hopes for the approval of a proposed nationwide feeding program featuring QPM, the application for which is already with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) of the DOST. Beneficiaries of the feeding program will be Region 4, especially the far-flung areas of Quezon, Regions 7 to 10, and the ARMM. Varieties of QPM or Obatanpa—a name which in Africa means “nursing mother”—has been used in feeding programs in Africa. Its protein profile is just 20 percent less than that of milk.

According to the research paper titled “Development and Commercialization of Two White and Three Yellow Open-Pollinated Cultivars of Maize” by Artemio M. Salazar, Proceso H. Manguiat, Bernabe S. Cia, and Villamor A. Ladia Jr. of the IPB Crop Science Cluster, and Franco G. Asoro of the Iowa State University, the five new OPCs underwent at least two cycles of mass selection for ear characters before they were evaluated by the National Cooperative Testing (NCT) from 2003 to 2008. The NCT evaluates OPCs for yield and agronomic characters.

For the last 33 years, the IPB of the Crop Science Cluster of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture has been developing varieties of maize to enhance yield, resistance to major insect pests and diseases, and tolerance to adverse environments, with small farmers as its target clientele. Recently, the IPB also started to develop maize varieties with better nutritional attributes in order to incorporate healthy well-being to the general objective of food security.

The five new varieties will specifically benefit the poorer farmers. OPCs are plants whose seeds can be collected by the farmer and planted for a new harvest, as opposed to hybrids whose seeds are not likely to produce plants with the same quality as the parent. “The farmer would have to buy a new batch of hybrid seeds,” Manguiat explained. IPB develops both OPCs and hybrids.

In comparison with rice, corn, in general, is also an easier crop to manage. It can also be produced in more areas. “Corn is generic,” Manguiat said. He added that any province that grows corn can grow any of the five new cultivars. “The water requirement for corn is also four times less than that of rice, and [corn] can… be planted in paddies after the rice has been harvested.”

Maize (Zea mays L.) literally means “that which sustains life” for the American Indians, who are believed to be the first to cultivate it. It ranks third among the major cereal crops in the world, and is a staple for both human and animal consumption. In the Philippines, corn ranks second to rice among its top cereal crops. It is the staple food for an estimated 20 percent of Filipinos. According to the AgFishTech Portal of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (http://www.bar.gov.ph/agfishtech/crops/corn.asp), maize is a richer source of vitamin A than polished rice and contains high amounts of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. It is also a major source of oil, alcohol, fibers, and starch derivatives for industrial uses. Its potential for producing bio-fuel is also emerging.