AGRI UPDATES

Tissue-cultured chayote bears first fruits

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Five months after planting, the first tissue cultured chayote plants bore fruits at the demo-farm here at the Benguet State University’s Balili experimental area.

The tissue cultured chayote plants under the care of professor Guerzon Payangdo, team leader of the Office of the Extension and Training Services project was planted on Nov. 28, 2007 and harvested last April 22.

Payangdo observed that the tissue-cultured chayote plants have shorter fruiting time at four to five months compared to the conventional planting fruit which takes six to seven months before it bears fruit.

It was also noted that plants from tissue culture are more vegetative, more prolific, and produced more vines so that canopy cover spreads faster than the conventional planting material. Studies are being done to assess other growth and yield parameters, reaction to pest and diseases especially virus-caused diseases.

To guide chayote farmers, a booklet titled "A Practical Guide in Chayote Production" by Payangdo and published by the Office of Extension Services, BSU is available at the Office of Extension Services, Research and Extension Complex.

It documents the actual experience of the author from his chayote production undertaking at Central Atok and contains a step by step procedure from planting to marketing. It is priced at P150 -- WLMarquez

Banaue mayor urges planting of rice in undeveloped terraces
BANAUE, Ifugao -- The municipal mayor here urged his constituents to till undeveloped portions of the rice terraces to avert rice shortage in the municipality.

According to Mayor Lino Madchiw, there are lands in the rice terraces which are uncultivated that can be developed and planted with rice to supply rice needs of the people in the community especially the owners.

“I urge my constituents especially the unemployed to cultivate the undeveloped lands in the rice terraces to supply the rice needs of the family,” Madchiw said, adding many of his constituents are requesting for more National Food Authority FA rice supply in the “bigasang bayan” for them to avail the low price.

To address the clamor of the people, the municipal government and NFA-Ifugao signed a memorandum of agreement recently for 100 sacks of rice allocation per month aside from the regular supply of the municipality for the “bigasang bayan”.

Madchiw saiud he was hopeful the grain agency will establish more “bigasang bayan” to cater to the rice needs of the people in this municipality. -- Mhars B. Lihgawon

Pampanga farmers to get full support
SAN FERNANDO, Pam­panga – Rep. Aurelio Gon­zales Jr. vowed to extend full support to farmers in Pam­panga’s third district to boost their productivity in the wake of the prevailing rice crisis.

Some 100 farmers, agricultural experts and local government officials got this assurance during the recent one-day farmers’ summit held here, a day after President Arroyo met with legislators to tackle new government initiatives to boost food production, particularly rice.

“The President has instructed us to relay to you her all-out support to improve agricultural productivity to ensure that we have enough supply of rice and other food crops and to help farmers get more from their farming activities,” Gonzales said in his speech before the participants.

Gonzales said the province’s third district is a corn and rice-producing area and can supply the require­ments of its constituents. The district is made up of the towns of Arayat, Sta. Ana, Mexico and Bacolor and the City of San Fernando. Mexico is known as the “corn belt” of Pampanga.

Gonzales said the government has allotted funds for improved irrigation, farm mechanization and provision for inputs to shore the farmers’ capability for higher production.

“The government will see to it that your needs to have higher yields and better incomes from food production is achieved through a number of safety net packages that will be given through various government agencies,” he said.

Gonzales said he will also initiate legislative actions based on the summit’s output and recommendations to beef up the existing safety nets for farmers.

During the open forum, the participants asked Gonzales for various forms of assistance, ranging from free certified seeds, farm tractors, dredging of waterways to prevent flooding, and solar dryers. Prior to the summit, Gon­zales had donated four-wheel tractors to the towns of Mexi­co and Sta. Ana and provided other inputs to farmers in the district. – George Trillo