Varietal improvment

MAKAPUNO EMBRYO CULTURE TECHNOLOGY

Makapuno embryo culture technology is the flagship program of NCRC-V. This technology has allowed the center to produce the first early-bearing and self-pollinating makapuno hybrids in the Philippines, recognized by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC).

The work on early-bearing and self-pollinating makapuno started in 1987. Makapuno is a ‘mutant’ coconut variety. Occasionally, among bunches of regular coconuts, a mutation causes the coconut meat to become thick and viscous, with very little coconut water. It was historically just thrown out because of its lack of utility in copra production which was the primary market for coconut. But its applications in food processing, especially in dessert foods has grown to a promising degree. The naturally existing ‘kabuwig’ was once the primary source for makapuno, which yielded up to 21%.

Prof. Nunez and her team have developed dwarf coconut varieties that produced up to 95% makapuno. Work was completed in the late 1990’s, and the National Seed Industry Council officially recognized the hybrids in 2008. These were the first early-bearing, self-pollinating, and high-yielding makapuno hybrids in the country, officially named the VMAC1, VMAC2, and VMAC5. These hybrids have since been adopted by different makapuno farmers all over the country, and demand for planting materials has been consistently growing.

MAKAPUNO HYBRID ADOPTERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

LUZON:

Quezon Province, Aurora, Batangas, Laguna, Camarines, Palawan

VISAYAS:

Ilo-ilo, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Eastern Samar

MINDANAO:

Surigao, Butuan, Cagayan, Cotabato, Mindoro, General Santos

NCRC-V has also established a coconut gene bank that houses forty-six different coconut accessions of tall and dwarf cultivars and hybrid genotypes. These accessions were gathered from the different regions in the country and served as a gene pool for both conservation and breeding works. Through its breeding program, the center has developed and field evaluated nine coconut hybrids which are early bearing and high yielding. These hybrids are crossbreeds of the Baybay tall as the male parent and different dwarf varieties as the female parent.

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