Agriculture Business Week

Plant breeding  and biotechnology researchers at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are using DNA fingerprinting.

Rice breeders disclose that fingerprinting, used to characterize a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which contains the heritable characteristics of an organism, is essential for crop breeding.

The paper Genetic fingerprinting: Advancing the frontiers of crop biology research, by Dr. Gabriel Romero, Cheryl Adeva, and Zosimo Battad II explains that fingerprinting helps breeders select the traits they need to develop new varieties.

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Here’s an easy do-it-yourself guide to managing your own garden of high-value fruits and vegetables.

Chicken manure may be mixed with complete fertilizer and administered 15-15-15 for every hectare. This may be followed with 150 to 200 kilos of ammonium sulfate two to three times every ten to fifteen days. Celery requires regular watering. Hay may also be used to cover soil in between the rows to keep the water from drying up as soil that is much too dry can cause lesser yield. Regular removal of weeds should also be done.

Celery is a vulnerable vegetable and needs utmost care in handling and growing. It is important to ensure that leaves do not get lesions during weeding, watering or applying insecticides. Insecticides should not be sprayed against wind direction to ensure safety.

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Durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.) is a distinctive Asian fruit. The tree reaches a height of 40 meters. Its bark is red-brown and peels off regularly. The trunk is buttressed. Its leaves are oval or lance-head-shaped and arranged alternately. The upper surface is smooth and glossy. The lower part is covered with scales and hairs. The flowers are whitish and greenish white. The fruit is green to brownish in color, shaped like a globe or egg.

Adaptation

Durian is adapted to sandy loam and clay loam, with high organic matter, reasonably deep and slightly acidic soil (pH of 5.6).

Durian grows in lowland tropics in elevation up to 800 meters above sea level with optimum temperature of 25-35°C and 80% relative humidity.

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Anthurium (Anthurium andreanum Lind.) belongs to the family Araceae. There are two types of anthurium under cultivation: the foliage and the flowering types. The foliage is grown for their velvety leaves while the flowering type is for their showy flowers, which consists of spadix and spathe. The true flowers are borne on a spike called spadix protruding from the base of the spathe.

The spathe is a modified leaf typically heart shape. It comes in different colors – pink, white, green white and red.

Recommended Varieties

Cultivars grown locally are the following:

1. Nitta (orange)
2. Kaumana (red)
3. Ozaki (dark pink)
4. Kaonaiwan (white)
5. Pink Exotica (light pink)

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Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) or groundnut has been a popular crop in the Philippines. It is considered one of the major field legumes grown by farmers but its production has been low and erratic. Among the provinces in the Philippines, the top producers of peanut are Isabela, Pangasinan, La Union, Quirino, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Albay and Iloilo. However, the Cagayan Valley region produced almost half of the country’s total peanut production.

In the Philippines, peanut can be grown throughout the year provided inputs, especially the water requirement are adequately available. In general, dry season crop (October-January) gives higher yields and beans of better quality than the rainy season crop.

Recommended Varieties

The recommended peanut varieties in the Philippines are as follows:

1. UPL Pn-2 – 104-111 days
2. UPL Pn-4 – 105-110 days
3. UPL Pn-6 – 105-110 days
4. UPL Pn-8 – 100-110 days
5. BPI Pn-2 – 97-101 days
6. UPL Pn-10 – 98-100 days
7. PSB Pn-2 – 101-103 days
8. PSB Pn-3 – 103-104 days
9. ICGV 8848 -120 days
10. ICGV 88392 -120 days
11. ICGV 88406 -120 days

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Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) belongs to the solanaceous family and can be grown throughout the year. It is a good source of vitamin C and iron and usually served as fresh or cooked with other vegetables, fish and meat. It can also be processed as pickles.

There are several types; green, yellow, orange, violet and brown. Popular varieties are California Wonder and Lamuyo.

Climatic and Soil Requirements

Sweet pepper requires cool weather for best fruit quality. In low elevations, October to December planting is best. In mid and high elevations, it can be grown throughout the year.

Sweet pepper grows well in any type of soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Production is best in sandy loam soil. Its temperature requirement ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

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Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilzeck), popularly known in the Philippines as mungo or mungbean in other countries and mainly used as human food. It is one of the cheapest sources of plant protein which contains protein ranging from 22-27%. It is also a good source of minerals such as calcium and sodium. Dried mungbean seeds are high in vitamins A & B while the sprouted mungbean are rich in vitamins B & C.

Uses

• It is a raw material in th major processes namely: mungbean sprout production; sotanghon manufacturing; hopia processing; dishes like soups, porridge, snacks, bread, noodles and ice cream;
• Mungbean starch is extensively used for starch noodles;
• Mungbean protein is used to fortify cereal flour
• Crop residues are used for fodder
• It is also grown for hay, green manure or cover crop

Climatic Requirement

Mungbean is drought-tolerant and requires a warm climate during its growing period. The temperature and humidity prevailing in the region is suited for optimum yields.

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Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is similar to grain sorghum with sugar-rich stalks. Being a water-use efficient crop, sweet sorghum has the potential to be a good alternative feedstock for ethanol production.

It is a multi-purpose crop which can be cultivated for simultaneous production of grain from its earhead as food and feed ingredients, sugary juice from its stalk for making syrup, jaggery, or ethanol, and bagasse and green foilage as an excellent fodder for animals, as organic fertilizer, or for paper manufacturing.

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Quail by some distinction are classified as “game” or “hunting” birds and as such, should not be compared with chicken, whose requirements are different.

On a commercial scale, quail raising has not attracted the interest of investors because of the lack of data particularly with regards to feeding. Many people who go into quail raising are usually hobbyists who are not income-conscious.

Breeds of Quail

* Japanese Seattle
* Silver
* Negro
* Japanese Taiwan/Chinese Quail
* Tuxedo
* Brown Crosses nos. 1 and 2

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Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent. Cultivated in many tropical regions and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavor, fragrance and color, making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often called superfruits. Its leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at weddings and religious ceremonies.

Prospects and Strengths

* Mango growing is in line with the initiatives of both government and private sectors in terms of production, processing and marketing support
* Once productive, a 10-15 year old tree will yield approximately 500 kilos
* There is a niche market for both fresh and processed mangoes locally and abroad. The export market is expanding
* Technologies from propagation to post-harvest handling have been tested,verified and adopted nationwide
* Processing technologies are also available and continuing efforts are exerted to develop new products
* There is a pool of experts in the country that can be tapped to provide technical assistance to mango growers and processors
* Research and development activities on emerging pests and diseases are given priority by relevant agencies of the government
* Expansion of large production areas in Mindanao which are free from typhoons

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Chicken broiler and egg production are the most progressive animal enterprises in the Philippines today. The poultry industry in fact began as the backyard enterprise but has shifted to the formation of very large integrated contract farming operations.

The growth of poultry industry in the Philippines has been impressive but its problems include inefficient management and the prevalence of many destructive poultry diseases and parasites cannot be ignored.

This manual provides technology and management know-how for poultry raising which we hope present poultry raisers and prospective poultry producers may find useful in effectively managing their poultry farms and also help them realize substantial financial returns from their enterprise in this period or high production cost inputs.

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