Corn Derby Increases Yield

Text and photo by JAMES EARL OGATIS

Mr. Ricardo B. Saltin, regional corn program coordinator together with Mr. Lorenzo Pallada, project researcher inspecting one of the varieties tested during the varietal trial of hybrid corn at Escalante City.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) conducts corn derby or varietal trial of different hybrid corn varieties in partnership with the local government of Escalante City, Negros Occidental.

According to Dr. Joyce S. Wendam, DA-6 Regional Technical Director for Research, the corn derby is one important venue where corn farmers can select outstanding varieties that are suited in their locality.

"This Adaptability Yield Trial on Hybrid Yellow Corn or "Corn Derby" showcases five different varieties from five different corn seed companies where farmers can choose which variety they will adopt depending on the pest and disease tolerance and yield performance of each variety", said Wendam.

The City of Escalante is the recipient of the P1 million Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR) project of the DA-BAR together with the Province of Negros Occidental for CY 2010 focused on the recent corn technology production.

"We would like to fully develop corn production in Escalante City in order to compliment and utilize the multi-million pesos post harvest facility, the corn processing plant in the nearby city of Sagay, and the positive response of the LGU to the projects of the DA," added Dr. Wendam.

The study features the use of Bio-N among all corn varieties as soil ameliorant, use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, and managing insect pest through IPM technology.

According to Ricardo Saltin, regional corn program coordinator, the higher yield is attributed mainly to the wider adaptation of hybrid maize in the yellow corn growing areas of the country and the around one million hectares planted since 2002 according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistic data.

The use of hybrid corn technology has resulted to yield improvement that contributed to an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent over a 17 year period since 1985.
　

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Sobrevega, Manager of WESVIARC challenged the corn farmers to adopt the new technology and produce more corn so as to meet the increasing demand of corn due to the expansion of livestock industry particularly in poultry and hog production.
　

The five varieties that were tested are GSI 40, Grainsfield 168, TSG 81, TSg 89 and 30B80 of Pioneer hybrid. /MP