Philippines

COUNTRY REPORT ON THE STATE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 1
THE STATE OF DIVERSITY
1.1 Significance of agricultural biodiversity in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of the countries that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The
lands and seas of ASEAN are naturally blessed with amazing richness of life forms whether these be plants, insects, fish,
corals, birds or mammals. Seven of the world’s 25 recognized biodiversity hotspots and 3 of the world’s 17 megadiversity
countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines) are found in this region. The Philippines is also one of the five distinct
major biogeographic sub-units in the region. The other sub-units are: Indochina (Myanmar, Lao P.D.R, Cambodia, Vietnam
and most of Thailand), Sundaic (Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and the Great Sunda Islands of Borneo, Palawan, Sumatra,
Java and Bali), Wallacea (Sulawesi, Maluku and the Lesser Sundas) and Papua (New Guinea and Aru). The country’s
complex geological history and long period of isolation from the rest of the world have produced varied landforms,
water bodies, and climatic conditions. These, in turn have contributed to the wide array of soil, temperature, moisture,
and weather regimes and combined with its former extensive areas of rainforest and its tropical location, have given rise
to high species diversity. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Philippines also
ranks seventh in the world in terms of species diversity and endemism. A total of 52 177 species of flora and fauna have
been identified in the country, of which a high 67% are endemic. There are approximately 15 000 plant species so far
identified within its borders. Of the 8 120 species of flowering plants 40% are endemic to the country.
There are more than 3 000 diverse plant species in the country that have played important roles in the lives of the
Filipinos. So many species can be used for food, medicine, fiber, essential oil, commercial timber or ornamental.
1.2 The state of diversity and relative importance of all major crops
for food security and the diversity within them
Rice (Oryza sativa)
Rice is the staple food of over 89% of the Philippine population. It is planted to 4 704 million hectares producing
14 603 million metric tons in the year 2005 valued at P155.6681 million Philippine pesos. Rice farming is the source of
income and employment to 12 million farmers and family members. The diversity of ecosystems, cultural management
practices, preferences and use contribute to the diversity of Philippine rices.
The Philippines is part of the center of diversity of rice. Extensive traditional varieties exist, consisting of farmers’
varieties adapted to varied agroecological zones (e.g. lowland irrigated paddy, lowland rainfed, upland, saline, and cool
elevated areas). There is at present a total of over 5 500 collected and documented traditional varieties of rice in the
country. Rice germplasm is conserved in the genebanks of PhilRice, Crop Science Cluster of UPLBCA, IRRI, MASIPAG and
SEARICE. On-going survey of the diversity continues to uncover more unique traditional varieties in many parts of the
archipelago.
There are four wild relatives of Oryza found in the Philippines, namely O. minuta, O. meyeriana, O. officinalis and O.
rufipogon. O. minuta can only be found in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Current breeding programs are tapping
O. minuta not only to broaden the rice genetic base but also to incorporate resistance genes for bacterial blight and blast.
O. meyeriana is a potential source of shade and drought tolerance and photoperiod insensitivity. O. officinalis is a source
of resistance to brown plant hopper, while O. rufipogon is a source of resistance to the rice tungro virus.
The continued existence of the natural populations of wild rices is threatened by the destruction of their natural
habitat, especially those populations which are extant in areas near urban centers.
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