THE Horticulture Research and Training Institute (HORTI) of the Benguet State University is mandated to produce disease-free, if not certified, seeds or planting materials of preferred or recommended varieties or cultivars of horticultural crops that have been evaluated as adapted to the semi-temperate environment.
Considering economic and environmental sustainability comparative edges, HORTI has focused on strawberry, flowers (roses, mums, anthuriums, Benguet lily), and vegetables (cabbages, lettuce, beans, garden pea, carrot, tomato, and oyster mushroom and shiitake). Appropriate technologies to enhance the productivity of these commodities have been developed and are available as modest institutional support system services to farmers despite the limitations brought forth by meager government funding.
Knowing that quality productivity starts with quality seeds and /or planting materials coupled with optimum cultural management, HORTI has been into the tissue culture technology as the immediate alternative or substitute to the importation of certified seeds or planting materials.
The concerted earlier efforts of then Dr. Manuel Balcita of the Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Vilma D. Alejandro (retired) of the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and HORTI on colored callas and mums, respectively paved the way in looking at the tissue culture technology to produce local quality planting materials of preferred varieties/cultivars. Nevertheless, HORTI is still incapable of seed/planting material certification.
Ms. Milagros R. Dumaslan, Sc. Research Specialist of HORTI, under the project leadership of Dr. Julia A. Solimen (retired) with funding from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2007 worked on the tissue culture of strawberry which resulted to the distribution of runners to limited number of farmers. During the forum with strawberry farmers on November 11, 2016, the farmers claimed for the expansion of the success story of the CHED-funded project. The preferred varieties “Winter Dawn, Sweet Charlie, and Festival” were specifically identified and requested for tissue culturing as source of disease-free runners for distribution to farmers. In this connection, HORTI is preparing for expanded strawberry runner distribution to farmers by 2017.
The HORTI Tissue Culture Laboratory is producing disease-free planting materials of strawberry, banana, chayote, chrysanthemum, anthurium, carnation, misty blue, and paper roses with assurance that these tissue-cultured materials are as quality as imported certified materials. We are hopeful for the time when serological certification facilities will be available in the future.