USM researchers develop 6 new corn HY varieties

MANILA, Philippines - Six new high-yielding white maize varieties have been developed.

The varieties were bred by Fabiola Alejandro, Efren Magulama, Milagros Malinao, and Dr. Naomi Tangonan, all of the University of Southern Mindanao production by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Of the new maize cultivars, three are composites (USM var 16, 18 and 28), two are synthetics (USM Var 24 and 26), and one is a hybrid.

The varieties were developed under a project titled “High-yielding white maize varieties resistant to bacterial stalk rot and Fusariumear rot.”

The study won the second prize (research category) in the recent 2009 National Symposium on Agriculture and Resources Research and Development (NSARRD) organized by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

Spending four years of rigorous breeding, the USM researchers screened thousands of garmplasm materials to determine corn varieties that are resistant to bacterial stalk rot (BSR) and Fusariumear rot (FER). The identified resistant germplasms were used in the development of the new cultivars.

Stalk rot – which are often caused by a number of fungi, nomatodes, and bacteria – are the most serious and widespread group of diseases in maize. Stalk rots may reduce yield from 47 percent to 55 percent on a particular hybrid, while ear rots may reduce yields to an average of 33 percent, as shown in three field trials in Bukidnon.

The USM researcheers averred that combining plant genetic resistance and high-yielding trait in breeding strategies could help achieve long-term control of these major diseases, onsure stable food production, and protect the environment.    – Rudy A. Fernandez