Food Security! Propagating Iconic Rootcrops By Tissue Culture Technology

Three iconic root crops from the Island Province of Bohol will now be propagated using the modern Tissue Culture Technology to enhance the production of more planting materials.
This new horizon in my Food Security Advocacy was opened yesterday when a farmer from Lila, Bohol traveled to my farm to deliver planting materials of three root crops famous in the island.
The Ube Kinampay (Purple Yam), Ube Kabus-ok (White Yam) and Apali (Lesser Yam) planting materials were brought by farmer Ven Lagria Salinasal from Bohol and given to me with a request that I promote the propagation of the tubers.
While Ven gave me instructions on how to propagate the tubers, I may opt to seek the help of our Tissue Culture expert, Jay Mearns of Kidapawan City.
Jay operates a Tissue Culture Laboratory in Kidapawan and he is currently propagating several Banana varieties like Mondo, Tindok and Malagkit on my request.
Tissue Culture propagation would be a better option because growing the tubers the traditional way would only produce a few new plants.
On the other hand, Tissue Culture would give me thousands of meriplants from just a few tubers.
“Tissue culture permits a very rapid propagation. Under traditional propagation, one tuber yields approximately 8 daughter tubers in one growing season, while with tissue culture, 100,000 identical plantlets can be produced in eight months,” according to an information available in public websites.
After producing the thousands of plantlets, especially the vanishing Apali and the sought-after Ube Kinampay, these root crops could be introduced in the Tribal Communities of the country to ensure food security.
This program, however, would not have been possible without the contribution of farmer Ven Lagria Salinasal who believed in my advocacy for Food Security in the country by propagating and growing crops locally.

#farmerssharingtreasures!
#KungMayItinanimMayAanihin!