A RESEARCH says the use of Coconut Somatic Embrygenesis Technology (CSET) can help Dabawenyo coconut farmers increase coconut production.
UP associate professor and former College of Science and Mathematics dean doctor Annabelle U. Novero said the conventional propagation of nut has the ratio of 1 nut is to 1 seedling, while Philippine Coconut Authority’s (PCA’s) CSET protocol has 1 plumelet is to 80-120 plantlets. The enhanced PCA CSET protocol has 1 plumelet is to 1000 plantlets, which is the current goal of the research to help Dabawenyo coconut farmers.
“The CSET program is a national program implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to also help revive the Philippines as the top coconut producing country,” Novero said, adding the country is lagging behind the coconut production due to existing old coconut trees.
PCA records show that in 2014 and 2015, Mindanao produces a yearly average of 15.8 billion coconuts or 68 percent of the entire Philippines’ yearly production. Out of the 3.3 million hectares of coconut plantations nationwide, 1.7 million hectares of these can be found in Mindanao, with 339 million existing coconut trees in the island.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), on the other hand, showed that in 2015, Davao Region produced a total of 2.25 million metric tons, the highest in the country.
Novero said the CSET also aims to address the condition of affected coconut plantations in Davao Oriental with typhoon Pablo’s destruction.
Novero’s research “Mass Propagation and Pilot Utilization of Plumelets Derived Plantlets of Tall and Dwarf Coconut through CEST” also aims in producing early and high yielding coconut plantlets which are also resistant to insects.