Increasing sweet potato diversity through sustainable use in Central Luzon, Philippines
2007
Borromeo, T.H., Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Crop Science Cluster
Sweet potato is a very important cash crop in Tarlac, Bataan and some parts of Zambales. It is a post-rice crop in Tarlac and a wet-season crop in upland areas of Central Luzon. Ninety percent of the production areas in Central Luzon are planted to one variety, Super Bureau which is threatened due to its susceptibility to feathery mottle virus. The project aims to increase sweet potato diversity to mitigate loss of diversity in Central Luzon through introduction of varieties and advanced lines from IPB-UPLB [Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna, Philippines] and PRCRTC, VSU. Introduced varieties were evaluated through participatory varietal selection based on criteria set by the farmers. The results of the sensory, on-station, and on-farm evaluations by farmers in four towns in Tarlac showed that four out of the 18 introduced sweet potato varieties, namely PSB Sp17, PSB Sp23, UPLSP 11, and NSIC 25 were selected. These varieties had similar characteristics with existing varieties but each variety has a distinct character different from existing varieties. The increasing demand for planting materials for UPLSP 11, PSB Sp23, NSIC 25 and PSB SP17 indicates that farmers will adopt and conserve them on-farm, there by increasing the SP diversity in Central Luzon. Monitoring of these varieties in production areas in Central Luzon is recommended.
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