4 glutinous varieties perk up Cagayan Valley corn industry

Four new glutinous yellow corn varieties developed by government plant breeders are now perking up the corn industry in the Cagayan Valley region.

The varieties – named IES Glut. #2, IES Glut. #3, IES Glut. #4, and IES Glut. #5 – have also been found to thrive in other corn-growing areas such as Regions 1 (Ilocos) and 3 (Central Luzon), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and some parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

The special core types were developed under the project titled "Development of improved corn glutinous varieties for corn farmers in Region 2." The project is a component of the Corn Crop Improvement Program of the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DA-CVIARC) in Ilagan, Isabela.

Involved in the project were S.C. Tumamang, V.C. Perdido, D.B. Tumanao, R.Y. Aquino, and R.M. Atalin.

As monitored by the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), IES Glut. # 2 was the best yielder – 5.5 tons per hectare. It was followed by IES Glut. # 3 (5 t/ha), IES Glut. # 4 (4.5 t/ha), and IES Glut. # 5 (4.25 t/ha).

The average yield for yellow corn in the country is 2.4 t/ha.

"The development and promotion of the IES glutinous corn varieties contributed to the production expansion of corn in Region 2," the DA-CVIARC researchers reported.

Through the continuous production of quality seeds of these varieties, the year-round supply for green corn (sold as boiled or broiled) required by the vendors were gradually met. As the production areas expanded, business enterprises of the seeds needed in snack food processing (roasted corn or "cornik"). – Rudy A. Fernandez