Pioneer Hi-Bred tops DA-BIARC Corn Derby

Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines, Inc. (PHPI), the country's leading hybrid corn seed company, had obtained the highest yield mark in the recently concluded Hybrid Corn Showcase organized in the town of Pili, Camarines Sur by the Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center (BIARC) of the Department of Agriculture, together with the local government units of the municipality and province.

The 1.5-hectare showcase, more known to farmers as a ‘corn derby', exhibited different varieties of hybrid corn from several seed companies with the aim to enhance Bicol farmers' adoption of the best corn production technologies available in the market, particularly focusing on the yield performance of each corn variety by the participating seed companies. Chemical and fertilizer companies and other corn industry stakeholders collaborated efforts in the said government project.

Upon harvesting the ears of all entered varieties, Pioneer Hi-Bred's 3013 variety yielded a high 11.2 metric tons per hectare, enough to place it in the top spot with a yield difference of 1.4 metric tons from the second best variety.

"It is clearly evident that Pioneer Hi-Bred has proven itself to be one of the premier hybrid seed producers in the country with the way its product performed in the field," said Camarines Sur provincial corn coordinator Edgardo Nacario. "I am highly recommending our farmers to use this variety for the next season."

Aside from the 3013 variety, Pioneer's 30D44 variety was also at par with high quality as it placed fourth in the standings with a computed yield of 8.7 metric tons per hectare.

Compared to other corn varieties, Pioneer 3013 is known to yield large ears and has some drought tolerance and resistance to rust. On the other hand, Pioneer 30D44 is an early maturing hybrid with long ears and resistant to pythium stalk rot. It can be harvested at 97 days, compared to the usual 120-day cycle from planting to harvesting. Both hybrids have medium tolerance to the corn borer, the most prevalent corn pest in the country.

Marketing manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred Ryan Vergara said various agronomic parameters were evaluated to measure the performance of the corn hybrids. These included germination, plant stand, pest and disease resistance, shelling recovery, and computed yield.

"We believe that the government through the agriculture department should support more of these corn projects in order to convince our farmers to shift from using open-pollinated varieties, which average only less than half of what hybrid corn can potentially yield," said Ryan Vergara. "From this manner, we can lessen the importation of corn and other substitutes, which adversely affect our farmers' livelihood."

Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Iowa-based Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.—a DuPont company—is the country's leading producer and distributor of high-quality hybrid seed corn. Pioneer operates an ISO 9001:2000-certified hybrid seed production center in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

During 2002, DuPont is celebrating its 200th year of scientific achievement and innovation—providing products and services that improve the lives of people everywhere.





This article courtesy of http://www.allhybridcar.com.
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