Seed quality plays an important role in the country’s overall performance in potato production. However, demand for quality seeds in the Philippines remains unmet due to existing informal potato seed production systems.
With this, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) recently collaborated with the International Potato Center (CIP) and CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) for the third installment of CIP’s webinar series on Seed Systems featuring “Seed Potato Production Technologies in Southeast Asia with special focus on Vietnam and Philippines.”
The webinar served as an avenue for experts to share the status of seed potato production in said countries and to provide relevant recommendations to address the farmers’ concerns on sources of clean planting materials, pest and disease management, and other viable technologies.
In the webinar, Dr. Peter Vander Zaag, World Potato Congress Director and Sunrise Potato Systems Institute President, emphasized two major soil-borne pests and diseases of potatoes in the field: bacterial wilt (BW) and potato cyst nematode (Golden Nematode).
Dr. Vander Zaag said that BW remains a major problem of farmers due to lack of BW-resistant potato varieties. Golden Nematode, on the other hand, is hard to detect in the field,which makes it difficult to control. He also presented available seed potato technologies in Southeast Asia and disease-resistant varieties that can be explored by farmers to increase their yields and profits.
Meanwhile, Ms. Cynthia G. Kiswa, Director of the Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center, Benguet State University (NPRCRTC-BSU), discussed the status of the potato industry in the Philippines and highlighted technologies that can be used to enhance the production of quality seed potatoes.
Lastly, Dr. Chien Dao Huy, CIP-Vietnam Consultant, focused on the recent varietal developments, issues, pests and diseases, and future initiatives of CIP Vietnam to further strengthen the Potato R&D in his country.
Experts who also took part in the webinar were Dr. Sampriti Baruah, CIP Asia Project Coordinator; Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, CIP Asia Regional Director; and DOST-PCAARRD officials - Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, Executive Director and Dr. Allan B. Siano, Officer in Charge of the Crops Research Division.
More than 700 registered participants attended the webinar via videoconferencing. The recording of the webinar is available on CIP’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cipotato.