Filipino Scientists Developed Hydroponics and Aeroponics Pest-resistant Potato Planting Materials
Since Benguet State University (BSU) began distributing more pest-resistant potato planting materials to farmers in 2016, a consistent supply of potatoes is now guaranteed. The seedlings have been distributed to hundreds of farmers, according to Teresita D. Masangcay, designated director of BSU’s Northern Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center.
“We started to distribute research product clean planting materials since 2016 to replace the more than 20 years old plants of the farmers that were produced from previous cropping season for better yield,” Masangcay mentioned, cited by PNA.
She added that a lot of farmers have been utilizing planting materials from past crops that they have been recycling for roughly 20 years, which has increased the plants’ vulnerability to pests. This, she said, is the reason for the development of clean planting materials.
“We continue to develop the clean planting materials, initially producing them using soil as substrate then IVF (invitro fertilization), and now the hydroponics and the aeroponics systems,” Teresita Masangcay also mentioned.
The seedlings are more resistant to bacterial wilt during the dry months, which causes potatoes to wilt and not produce tubers, and the blight pest, which causes the tubers to ‘melt’ and infect the plants during the rainy season, thanks to new technology for generating planting materials. Additionally, specialists at BSU’s Northern Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center are testing their ‘clean’ seedlings to see if they are resistant to potato wart.
Furthermore, the research discovered that production increased while using the hydroponics and aeroponics systems. An average yield of seven tubers was obtained while planting potatoes normally; however, eleven to sixteen tubers were produced when employing aeroponics. Farmers have reported a 20–30% boost in productivity from the freshly created seedlings, which can also be used as a supply of seedlings for six or seven croppings.
A BSU report shows that 10 farmer cooperators from the municipalities of Bakun, Atok, Buguias, and Kabayan were tapped in the research process.
The experts at BSU’s Northern Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center work with other governmental organizations to encourage farmers to grow the Igorota potato variety, which is necessary for processed potatoes because of its low water content.
“Farmers opt for the granola variety, which requires only about 80 days, thus giving farmers more cropping seasons. We are trying to convince them to produce the Igorota so that we can supply the needs of the food chain,” she concluded.
The Department of Agriculture’s research funds were utilized in 2016 to create tissue-cultured planting materials. Under the Niche Center in the Regions (NICER) for Research and Development program, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) funded an ongoing study in 2019 that was overseen by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
