Philippines

PHILIPPINES
the operation of ‘buying stations’ who pool together products from small-scale farmers, to be sold in bulk. This system
operates in the case of mango, vegetables and banana.
4.4 Crop improvement programmes and food security
The crop improvement programme in the Philippines is a well established formal-sector programme utilizing advanced
methodologies and technologies. The following crops have benefited from improvement programmes:
Cereals: rice, maize, sorghum
Food legumes: mungbean, peanut, cowpea, soybean
Vegetables: tomato, eggplant, pole and bush sitao, lima bean, bottle gourd, sweet pepper, hot pepper
Root crops: cassava, sweetpotato, taro
Fiber crops: cotton, Manila hemp
Tobacco
Sugarcane
Plantation crops: coconut, cacao, coffee
Fruit trees
Ornamentals
Contribution of crop improvement to food security in the philippines
The products of crop improvement programs had boosted agricultural yields especially for the staples. The volume of
production in rice and maize are mainly contributed by modern varieties. Modern varieties of staple crops are planted
in more than 95% of the total area. Modern cultivars of sweetpotato, cassava, coconut, mungbean, peanut, eggplant,
tomato, sweet pepper and sugarcane account for a significant proportion of varieties grown for food.
Breeding programmes to increase crop resistance to pests and diseases
The breeding programs have developed elite lines and varieties with increased resistance to pests and diseases. In rice,
improved breeding lines named the Matatag series are widely grown in areas where the rice tungro virus is prevalent.
Angelica is also an improved rice line with resistance to bacterial blight. Sweetpotato varieties, NSIC Sp 21 and NSIC Sp
23 are resistant to scab and weevil. Taro variety, NSIC Gb 08 is resistant to leaf blight. IPB Var 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Improved
Tiniguib are resistant to downy mildew. Tomato varieties Marikit, Marilag, Rica, Rossana, Ara and Allesandra are resistant
to bacterial wilt.
Participatory crop improvement programmes
PhilRice has undertaken participatory plant breeding (PPB) in the development of rice varieties adapted to fragile
environments, saline, cool-elevated, upland and rainfed ecosystems. In maize, vegetables, legumes and root crops,
participatory varietal selection (PVS) is employed with the participation of farmers. Both PPB and PVS are employed in
the development of farmers’ varieties and selections in rice and corn by farmer partners of SEARICE, and other NGOs.
Changes in the use of plant genetic resources in the philippines
It is expected that there will be changes in the use of plant genetic resources in response to changing needs, or as
alternative to conventional sources of products. For example, the country expects to utilize renewable sources of energy
through bio-fuels, e.g. sorghum, cassava, sugarcane and physic nut (Jatropha curcas); animal feeds, e.g. sweetpotato;
medicinal plants.
It is also expected that the production hectarage devoted to specific crops, especially annuals, will vary in response to
market demand, especially for international markets, e.g. sugarcane, strawberry and asparagus; and import substitution,
e.g. soybean and cotton.
Methods being employed for plant breeding in the philippines
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Conventional methods
In some crops, especially those where crop improvement program is fairly recent, selection of outstanding genotypes
from existing variability (populations, varieties) is practiced. This is true for fruit and plantation crops, some root crops
and indigenous vegetables.