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Philippines

Project: FRUIT AND SHOOT BORER RESISTANT (FSBR) EGGPLANT
   
Project Manager: K Vijayraghavan, Regional Coordinator, South Asia
   
Participating Countries: Bangladesh, India, Philippines
   
Term: 2004-2008
   
Partners:
   
Technology: Cry 1Ac, a gene from the naturally occurring bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis, produces a protein that protects plants from some caterpillars, including the eggplant fruit and shoot borer.
   
Project Status:
  • Partnerships between private seed companies and leading research institutions in participating countries allowed promising resources to be efficiently applied to the production of FSBR Eggplant.
  • A gene (Cry1Ac) that renders eggplant resistant to the fruit and shoot borer, was transformed into Mahyco's most popular and regionally relevant eggplant varieties.
  • Data from field trials show that the bioengineered Cry1Ac technology effectively protects eggplant from fruit and shoot borer infestation.
  • In India, experiments are being conducted to confirm that the transformed eggplant is safe to eat and is environmentally sound.
  • In 2004 and 2005, our partners in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines started introducing this technology to their locally adapted varieties. The resulting varieties are undergoing biosafety and biodiversity review so they may be commercialized and made available to farmers.
  • Outreach material and other educational resources have been developed to help farmers and consumers understand the new FSBR eggplant technology.
   
Expected Benefits :
  • Resource-limited farmers stand to benefit economically from: - High quality eggplant seeds available from public-sector sources at affordable prices. - Reduced production losses from the eggplant fruit and shoot borer. - Increase in clean, marketable fruit. - Reduced production costs due to less frequent use of pesticide sprays.
  • Improved human and animal health, and less damage to the environment, as a result of less exposure to chemical pesticide sprays.
  • Improved capacity in the areas of research, licensing and communication through hands-on training, partnerships, exchange visits and workshop participation.

 

Eggplant - Philippines
   
Economic Importance: Eggplant production accounts for 28% of the total volume of top vegetables grown in the country. Its value is the highest among the leading vegetables. The area devoted to eggplant production is estimated to be more than 20,000 hectares with small farms ranging from 0.5- 2.0 hectares in size. The average yield of eggplant per hectare in the Philippines is 9.95 tons, which is about half that of the average yield in Asia and the world.
Damage by shoot and fruit borer is considered the most serious and devastating in terms of crop loss. As much as 50% of the fruit may be damaged in heavily infected fields. Commercial varieties with complete resistance to shoot and fruit borer do not exist in the Philippines. Farmers resort to chemical spraying to control this pest. Farmers spray as frequently as every other day, particularly when fruits are developing. Chemical application accounts for 24% of the total cost of growing eggplant.
   
Partners Within the Country: University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) - Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) - College of Agriculture - Crop Protection Cluster (CA-CPC)
Department of Agriculture - Biotechnology Project Implementation Unit (DA-Biotech/PIU)
International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA, South East Asia Center)
   
Planned Activities and Milestones:
  • Continue backcrossing the Mahyco FSB-resistant germplasm into preferred Philippine eggplant varieties.
  • Two Philippine scientists train at MAHYCO for six months to undertake the initial crossing work and undergo training in techniques and field testing procedures.
  • An ex-ante socio-economic impact study was conducted to assess the likely impact of FSBR-eggplant on stakeholders.
  • Approval has been granted for contained tests and importation.
  • Apply for approval for field tests in multiple locations.
  • Continue field trials.
  • Seek regulatory approval for propagation and licensing agreements for commercial distribution.
  • Undergo process for variety release and seed distribution.
  • Continue communication and outreach efforts to educate policy makers, consumers and farmers about the use and benefits of FSBR eggplant varieties.
   

 

Project: PAPAYA RINGSPOT VIRUS RESISTANT (PRSVR) PAPAYA
   
Project Manager: Desiree Hautea, Regional Coordinator, Southeast Asia
   
Participating Countries: Philippines
   
Term: 2004-2008
   
Partners:
   
Technology: Viruses are encapsulated by a coat protein (CP) that acts as a protective cage for the virus. The PRSV coat protein gene from the virus that occurs in the Philippines, was transformed into the plant essentially vaccinating the plant against the virus, as it triggers a defense response within the plant. This coat protein gene was cloned into papaya using a construct from Monsanto which shuttles the new gene into the plant.
   
Project Status:
  • The PRSV coat protein gene was isolated from a mild form of PRSV from the Philippines and introduced into the Monsanto vector.
  • To serve the best interests of local farmers, varieties preferred in the Philippines were used to produce a PRSV resistant variety that is now undergoing further testing.
  • Promising resistant bioengineered papaya lines have been identified.
  • Contained and multi-location field trials will be performed to assess safety and success of the new variety.
   
Expected Benefits :
  • Support the field testing of the first locally developed public sector biotech crop for small-scale farmers to be developed by a Philippine research and development (R&D) institution. This will serve as a precedent for future projects in the country that apply similar technology to producing new food crops, particularly crops for small-scale and resource-limited farmers.
  • Rehabilitate the papaya industry in Luzon in order to increase supply and availability of high quality papaya in the domestic market at a lower cost to the consumer.
  • Help to increase supply of papaya to meet demand for papain for the cosmetic industry and elsewhere.

 

Papaya - Philippines
   
Economic Importance: Papaya is a very important fruit crop in the Philippines. Papaya ranked 6th in the area planted (8,440 has) and 5th in volume produced (121,304 tons), next only to banana, pineapple, mango and citrus. Papaya production is widely dispersed, grown mostly by backyard-scale growers. About 80% of all papaya growers have less than 3 hectares. Most of the production area is located in Southern Tagalog region, in the main island of Luzon, which has been under quarantine because of the PRSV disease that effectively wiped-out the papaya industry in the main island.

The papaya is used in many ways in the Philippines, 92% of the total papaya production is consumed locally as food. An additional 6% is either exported for food or used for industrial applications. While the country was able to generate an average of US$ 1.33M/yr from 1996-2000, papaya export has been very erratic. An emerging market for papaya is the cosmetics industry. Papaya extracts are used as special ingredients in soaps, shampoos and other cosmetics.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) disease remains the biggest constraint on papaya production in the island of Luzon. Recently, the disease has already been spotted in some areas of Visayas and Mindanao, the latter being the main source of the country’s export variety. All commercial papaya varieties are susceptible or at best moderately tolerant to PRSV infection. Thus, a novel way of controlling the virus is vital for the future of the papaya industry in the Philippines.

   
Partners Within the Country: Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD), Philippines
International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA)
University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) - Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB)
   
Planned Activities and Milestones:
  • Help identify and bring promising bioengineered papaya lines to the field testing stage.
  • Develop additional virus resistant varieties by traditional crossing with the selected PRSV resistant variety. These varieties will include those important for consumption as well as those grown for industrial uses.
  • Initiate communication and outreach efforts.
  • Assure safety of new papaya varieties and seek regulatory approval.
   

 

Project: MULTIPLE VIRUS RESISTANT (MVR) TOMATO
   
Project Manager: Desiree Hautea, Regional Coordinator, Southeast Asia
   
Participating Countries: Indonesia, Philippines
   
Term: 2003-2008
   
Partners:
   
Technology: Viruses are encapsulated by a coat protein (CP) that acts as a protective cage for the virus. It has been well documented in many plants that introduction of a specific viral coat protein can render plant resistant to the target virus. The CMV coat protein gene from Taiwan has been tested and is effective when transferred into tomato. When the CP is transferred to the crop of interest, it triggers a defense response within the plant. A two-gene version of the CP technology is available and included in the planned strategy. The coat protein gene(s) and naturally occurring resistance genes will be transferred to varieties grown in Indonesia and the Philippines and combined with the non-bioengineered resistance to whitefly-transmitted tomato leaf curl viruses to confer multiple resistance against these damaging viruses.
   
Project Status:
  • Available technologies have been assessed.
    Negotiations have been initiated to access the different technologies.
  • Initial work has shown to be successful in Taiwan, where virus resistance was transferred to tomato and has undergone greenhouse and field testing for safety and efficacy in collaboration with the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC).
  • CMV-CP and tomato leaf curl virus resistance technologies from AVRDC have been initially incorporated by crossing to selected Indonesian and Philippine genotypes.
  • Breeding work continues in both countries.
  • Diversity studies of the two target viruses are nearly complete.
  • MTAs have been signed between AVRDC and partner institutions.
  • Bioengineered and non-bioengineered materials have been transferred from AVRDC to Indonesia; non-bioengineered materials have been transferred to the Philippines;
  • Ex-ante impact studies in both countries have been completed. Results point to affirmation of stakeholders’ benefits.
   
Expected Benefits :
  • Significant increase in knowledge and information about the diversity of CMV and tomato leaf curl viruses in Indonesia and the Philippines for better virus control.
  • Access to advanced plant biotechnology.
  • Improved capacity of national breeding institutions to integrate genetic engineering technology into their breeding programs.
  • Strengthen partnerships between international and national research centers.
  • Facilitation of public-private partnerships and South-South partnership.
  • Less pesticide use to control whiteflies and aphid vectors.
  • Increased yield due to decrease damage by the virus. This should result in increased income to farmers, increased supply of tomato, and lower costs to the consumers.

 

Tomato MVR - Philippines
   
Economic Importance: During the period 1990-1997, vegetables contributed 8.4% to 9.4% to total agricultural output of the Philippines while using only 5% of the country’s agricultural area. Of the 43 major vegetable crops in the Philippines, tomato contributed 30% to 60% of the total value of vegetable production. This contribution has decreased due to the incidence of viruses and other pests.
The major disease pathogens of tomato include bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses. Viruses contribute the most to economic loss in the tomato industry. The tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is considered the most important tomato virus disease in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. Its occurrence in the Philippines has dramatically increased in recent years. During episodes of heavy infection, almost 90-100% of the tomato plants can be infected resulting in 50-90% yield reduction. Sources of resistance have been identified but these are usually strain-specific.
   
Partners Within the Country: Benguet State University (BSU)
East West Seeds, Philippines (non-bioengineered component)
International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA), South East Asia Center
University of the Philippines Los Baños- Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB)
University of the Philippines Los Baños- National Crop Protection Center (UPLB-NCPC)
   
Planned Activities and Milestones:
  • Methodology for virus screening will be refined and standardized among partners.
  • Backcrossing of the CMV resistance trait and intercrossing to combine bioengineered CMV-CP and non-bioengineered T(Y)LCV resistance in Philippine varieties will be continued.
  • Methodology for virus screening will be refined and standardized among partners.
  • Sequencing of local CMV and tomato leaf curl virus isolates and diversity analysis will be completed; sequences comparison will be made among virus isolates from Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
  • Tests will be completed to assess the effectiveness of the bioengineered and the non-bioengineered sources against the local isolates of the virus..
  • Conduct contained field trials to test efficacy and biosafety of CMV-resistant tomatoes.
  • Work toward commercializing MULTIPLE VIRUS RESISTANT tomatoes.
   

 

  
 
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