Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
author of the illustrated book
Flora de Filipinas
. An extensive banana collection
program was started by the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture in 1911-1912, during
the American occupation of the Philippines. The initial germplasm assemblage
consisted of 276 accessions of 22 species.
The collections from the Bureau of Agriculture, and those of Dr. Teodoro, as
well as the descriptions of Fr. Blanco early on, were further studied and compared
by Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing, a professor of UPLB, in 1919. Widespread synonymy
and duplications were found; thus, there was a reduction of the germplasm collec-
tions. During World War II (1941-1945), many of the plant and animal germplasm
collections of the country were lost due to war-related atrocities. The wild and
cultivated
Musa
accessions of UPLB and the Bureau of Plant Industry then had
increased to 298. After the war, the country launched a program for the rehabilita-
tion of the abaca industry. During the time, the abaca plantations in Davao and
Bicol regions were severely affected by the abaca mosaic disease. Chemical sprays
did not control the malady. The long-term solution was believed to be the use of
resistant hybrids, and a breeding program utilizing resistant, wild
Musa
relatives
was initiated by UPLB and the Bureau of Plant Industry.
At present, the National Abaca Research Center (NARC), based at Leyte State
University in Leyte, Philippines, holds the world's largest collection of
Musa
textilis
germplasm, with more than 600 accessions of both cultivated and wild
types. Abaca accessions are also conserved in vitro. The collection at NARC has
been characterized with respect to fiber morphology, chemical composition, fiber
quality, and physical properties. Though
Musa textilis
is a genetic contributor in
certain edible seedless hybrid banana varieties, it has not been used in any formal
breeding program for edible bananas [
19
].
A research project that examined the genetic diversity of the Philippine abaca
germplasm using microsatellite markers found that the germplasm collection in
Luzon island has the highest diversity based on the Shannon diversity index
(
H
)[
20
].
Also in an attempt to conserve the diversity of Philippine abaca, Villavicencio
et al. [
21
] initiated the establishment of an in situ and on-farm conservation in Lake
Sebu, South Cotabato. In situ and on-farm conservation through conservation field
schools (CFS) is envisioned to enhance the capacity of farmers and stakeholders on
in situ conservation and its sustainable use. With the active participation of local
farmers, local government unit (LGU) technicians, and researchers from institu-
tions concerned with conserving the abaca, identification of traditional varieties
was conducted in the center of abaca production in the area. Five traditional
varieties were identified, namely, Tangonon, Maguindanao, G'nolon, Maguindanao
black and Wogu, and wild abaca. These varieties were multiplied and established in
the on-farm conservation sites. At the time of this activity, 80 % of the abaca
plantations in the Philippines have already been infected by abaca mosaic virus.
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