The agronomicperformance of 13 varieties/hybrids of tissue culture-derived abaca plantlets were evaluated and tested. Results from the different batches of plantings made indicated a mean survival rate of 86.28% under greenhouse condition and a field survival rate of 84.45%.

Tissue-cultured abaca produced stalks of lighter weights, although most of the varieties recorded high percentage of fiber recovery.

The tensil strength of tissue-cultured abaca were weaker than the grown from seedpice, however, it surpassed the standard requirements for pulp and paper and cordage manufacture except fot INF 23 which did not pass the standard for rope making. Chemical analysis of fibers indicated that all entries were high pulp yielders.

Abaca is asexually propagated by suckers, corms or seedpieces and most recently, by tissue culture. With the tissue method, about 200,000 plantlets a year can be produced from one sucker as compared to the conventionalmethod with a propagation rate of 10-15 suckers.

In the absence of seeds where conventional breeding is not possible, plantlets from tissue culture offers a considerable planting material for irradiation to produce variability.

General:     To evaluate the performance of tissue culture-derived abaca plantlets                  grown under field conditions.

Specific:     

• to document improved and/or developed nursery management practices in the rearing of abaca tissue cultured plantlets under greenhouse conditions;
• to evaluate the agronomic performance of tissue-culture-derived abaca plantlets; and
• to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of fibers obtained from tissue culture-derived abaca.

The study coveredtwo major phases, namely:

• Documentation of the step by step process in the nursery management of tissue culture-derived abaca plantlets under greenhouse conditions; and
• Field evaluation of the growth performance of the tissue culture-derived abaca plantlets including the physical and chemical properties of their fibers.

Promising nursery management practices used by previous researchers for tissue cultured-derived abaca plantlets were gathered. The effectiveness of the various practices tried was measured by the growth survival of the various varieties tested under greenhouse condition.

Verification trials on the need for soil fertilization of the medium used under greenhouse condition was also undertaken as an innovation to the practices tried.

The total area for field evaluation study was 4,000 square meters located at bonga, Albay. Recommended cultural practices and management in abaca production were adopted.

Disease monitoring and indexing were done on a monthly basis. Agronomic data such as heigh, suckering ability, base and tip circumference of stalks before harvest were gathered on a quarterly period.

A. Nursery Management

The first batch of tissue culture abaca plantlets positively responded to the various nursery management practices with a high percentage survival ranging from 80.43% to 100% or a batch ranged from 75% to 100% or a mean 90.16%. The percentage survival oftissue cultured plantlets is 98.33% for both sterilized and unsterilized medium of growth of Musa tex 52. The estimated cost of rearing tissue cultured abaca plantlets under greenhouse condition is 1.54 per plantlet.

B. Field Evaluation

The highest percentage of survival under field conditions for the first batch is 100% recorded by varieties INF 23 and Musa tex 52 while the lowest is Musa tex 82 with 66.66% percentage survival. Musa tex 50 exhibited a 70% survival rate while the lowest is lausigon with only 52.22%. Higher percentage of field suvival was noted on abaca plantlets which are planted in areas with sufficient shade trees as compared to the 2nd batch ofplantlets planted to unshaded areas.

The number of suckers produced using tissue cultured plantlets totalled 121.72. The average lenght of stalks is 187.59 cm while base circumference has a mean 39.74 cm. The size of the tip corresponded to the size of the base, thus varieties an/or hybrids having a bigger base has also a bigger tip.

The computed mean percentage of fiber recovery ranged from 1.49 - 1.84%. Higher fiber yielder were Casilihon, Tanongon, and Musa tex 52.

The average weightof fresh stalks harvested was 9.43 kgs. while the average length of stalks is 187.59 cm.

Estimated fiber yield per hectare per harvest of the tissue cultured varieties/hybrids for six (6) consecutive harvests ranged from 204.63 to 447.00 kgs. The highest yielder was the INF 23 with 773.13 kgs.

The highest mean tensil strength of fibers were noted for varieties Sogmad and Lausigon with 52.60 kg/g-m and 61.71 kg/g-m, respectively.

Mean tensil strength among the remaining varieties ranged from 16.23 kg/g-m to 52.60 kg/g-m.

The acomputed average ash content of the fibers of tissue cultured abaca ranged from 0.81% to 1.48% with Casilihon having the highest at 1.48% and Tangongon the lowest at 0.80%.

Tinauagan pula, Casilihon and Musa tex 51 have the highest hollocellulose content with 93.21%, 9.66% and 93.84%, respectively. Musa tex 52 recordedthe highest alphacellulose content with 69.17% and Musa tex 82 the lowest with 56.5%.

* - 1st Batch
* - 2nd Batch