LOS BANOS, Laguna ─ Thirty-six researchers and experts met here recently to discuss vegetable and coffee projects in relation to the Industry Strategic S&T Plans (ISPs).
Initiated by PCAARRD, ISPs are a medium term strategic plan for the identified agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) commodity industries.
The plan envisions for the AANR sector to largely contribute to the country’s achievement of its development goals of poverty reduction, food security, global competitiveness, and sustainability through the development of science-based solutions and innovations.
The participants represented both public and private organizations such as the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); Cavite State University (CvSU); Harbest Agribusiness Corporation; Industrial Technology Development Institute; Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development; and PCAARRD.
Among those discussed under the National Research and Development Program for Vegetables were projects that address the concerns on sustainability, quality, and availability of pole sitao and ampalaya.
The first component on ampalaya aims to develop varieties with high yield and disease resistance by developing broad-base population(s); screen them for resistance to ”Namamarako” (NMK) luteovirus, aphid, and bacterial wilt; improve population by recurrent selection method; and conducting yield trials, seed production, and farmers’ training.
After three years, ampalaya varieties suitable for low input agriculture will be available to farmers and commercial growers.
The second component on pole sitao will address the problems on limited adaptation of commercial varieties and the narrowing genetic variability due to disappearing landraces and traditional varieties.
Through participatory breeding, Dr. Rodel G. Maghirang and his team from UPLB aim to establish a local vegetable seed system, which would benefit pole sitao farmers in Regions 4 and 10.
The project on “Appropriate postharvest technologies and mitigating measures to ensure quality and food safety in intact, fresh-cut, and sprout vegetables” will be implemented in nine areas in Region IV-A and National Capital Region. The project will be led by Dr. Perlita A. Nuevo of UPLB.
The said project will make available quality and safe vegetables for domestic consumption. Specifically it will develop quality assurance and food safety guidelines for intact lowland vegetables, fresh-cuts, salad mixes, and sprout.
At the meeting, participants discussed the Program on Creating Growth in the Countryside through Development of Appropriate Technologies on Coffee Production and Processing.
The three-year, P45-million program on coffee will be led by CvSU in collaboration with the Benguet State University, Negros Occidental State College of Agriculture, and Central Mindanao University.
This program aims to improve the coffee farming communities through the implementation of its four project components.
Ms. Miriam D. Baltazar of CvSU leads the first project, which is on enhancing micropropagation techniques to meet the demand for quality planting materials. The research team will mass produce Coffea arabica and C. liberica through somatic embryogenesis (SE) technique.
SE is an efficient, rapid, and large-scale plant propagation technique that would produce true-to-type plantlets and hasten the distribution of superior coffee varieties to farmers.
The second project, “Conservation and management of coffee genetic resources in the Philippines”, is led by CvSU’s coffee expert, Dr. Alejandro C. Mojica.
The main objective of the project is to upgrade and conserve the existing coffee genebank in CvSU through increased germplasm collection of improved coffee cultivars.
Through this project, the first coffee genebank in the country as well as the database of coffee genetic resources will be established. Likewise, this research aims to strengthen the country’s international linkages, particularly with Brazil, for exchange of genetic materials.
Challenged by the lack of suitability and resource assessment of coffee, the third project component, led by Dr. Beng P. Umali, will use Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map and assess the variability of nutrient and water in coffee producing areas in the country.
RS and GIS are instrumental in addressing site-specific nutrient and moisture management, and in assessing organic carbon stocks in coffee production areas.
The fourth project titled, “Standardized evaluation of Philippine specialty coffee quality for domestic and export markets”, hopes to improve the quality of beans and enhance the cup quality of Philippine specialty coffee.
The project team will upgrade the Philippine Coffee Quality Center, use Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to measure coffee quality, establish cup profiles of Arabica and Liberica coffee for export market, conduct national training on proper postharvest practices for Philippine specialty coffee, and facilitate training and accreditation of potential local coffee cuppers.
With the wavering trend of production in the country, it is hoped that the programs on vegetables and coffee will usher in potential gains in productivity; help achieve global competitiveness; shape up the industry; and ultimately, benefit the industry players especially the local vegetable farmers and coffee growers.