Sugar institute releases 3 new varieties

MANILA, Philippines –  Three new outstanding sugarcane varieties have been released, it was announced by the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc. (Philsurn).

The varieties – PSR 00-34, PSR 00-343, and PSR 00-161 – were developed out of 114,000 seedling produced from 790 crosses of 250 parent varieties, reported the Philsurin Breeding Station in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

They have undergone eight years of intensive evaluation and selection in 15 locations throughout the country. Yield data were based on 27 plants and 11 ratoon trials in at least 13 cites, said Philsurin.

Philsurin said PSR 00-34 is a cross between VMC 84-194 and Phil 89-43. VM 84-194 is a variety with good disease resistance and rendement, while Phil 89-43 is a commercial cane noted for disease resistance and also high tonnage owing to its big stalks and goof germination.

PR 00034 is tall, self-detrashing, and has medium to fairly big brownish green to purplish brown stalks. It is recommended for dry areas similar to those of San Carlos City, Bukidnon, Capiz, and Tarlac.

PSR 00-343 was produced from a polycross of VMC 84-947, a commercial cane noted for its high tillering capability and adaptability to a wide range of locations, including eroded and drought prone areas.

It has very good germination and heavy tillering, resulting in high tonnage 120 TC/ha). It outranked all other entries in overall TC/ha in 11 out of 12 test sites, and has significantly higher sugar yield (Lkg/ha) in eight locations.

PSR 00-343 is recommended in most sugar mill districts, particularly Victorias, HPCo, San Carlos, Bukidnon, Davao, La Carlota, Bago, and Batangas.

PSR 00-161 is a cross between VMC 86-550, a variety with a stable high rendement but with disease susceptibility problem, and VMC 87-599, a variety with disease resistance and a high tonnage potential.

It has higher sugar yield (113 TC/ha) than any of the check varieties in seven out of 12 locations. It is recommended for La Carlota, San Carlos, Bukidnon, Passi, Bago, Davao, and Batangas.