The Philippine Coconut Authority PCA underscored that innovating sustainable and climate-resilient means of coconut production is a top priority to help coconut farmers achieve better and increased yields. PCA deputy administrator Roel Rosales said Thursday, December 1, during the Davao Region Coconut Conference and Trade Summit that they are close to perfecting the process of growing coconut through tissue culture that will significantly help farmers. The tissue culture is similar to what we do in bananas where one tissue can produce so many planting materials.

In that way, you’ll be able to get the exact genetic characteristic of the source with the proper selection, he said. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications defined plant tissue culture TC as the cultivation of plant cells, tissues, or organs on specially formulated nutrient media. Under the right conditions, an entire plant can be regenerated from a single cell. Rosales added that their research with the Department of Science and Technology DOST has yielded at least 200 tissues. To strengthen his claim, Rosales also mentioned that research in Mexico has proven that tissue can produce thousands of planting materials. With one tissue from the nut itself, it can produce several hundred, he said, adding that they are now in the final stage of the research. We have actually tested trees already planted on the field that are products of the said technology.

Original Link: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1947552/davao/business/tissue-culture-tech-seen-to-help-coconut-farmers