The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is now embarking on a project that will help establish a protocol for the clonal propagation of coconut.

Top scientists and tissue-culture experts from the PCA-Albay Research Center (ARC) based in Guinobatan, Albay, are leading the two-year modern biotechnology project headed by Dr. Erlinda P. Rillo.

The project will start next year, which aims to improve the efficiency of somatic embryo formation, germination and plantlet regeneration, agriculture officials told the BUSINESSMIRROR. Clonal propagation remains to be the only alternative means in mass propagation of coconut, but scientists at the Albay Research Center are still in the process of perfecting their experiments.

Somatic embryo formation and germination remain as the bottleneck in the clonal propagation of coconut. Past experiments on induction and germination of somatic embryos were almost always focused on addition of several substances reported to have induced somatic embryogenesis in other crops.

These experiments, however, have failed to address the possibility that there may be some missing factors, which scientists hope to identify.

Treatments that give the best results will be verified, with the inferred results incorporated in the formulation of the protocol, to be verified on PCA recommended coconut varieties.

Clones then will be established ex vitro adopting the PCA-ARC exvitro establishment protocol.

Scientists will also attempt to establish appropriate cultural requirement to ensure coconut embryo conversion and plantlet development and produce clonal plantlets of ex-vitro establishment trial. This will help establish a reliable clonal propagation protocol for mass propagation of coconut palms with desirable characteristics, scientists say.

The PCA and other public and private laboratories will use the protocol for the mass propagation of elite coconut planting materials.

Scientists said this protocol would be made available to other researchers for their won research and development activities as well. Related researches involving other palm species may also use the project's results as basis in the future.