THE Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) continuously pushes to develop technologies to help the abaca industry recover from the adverse effect of the debilitating diseases that hit the industry.

This was learned as researchers from the University of the Philippines Institute of Plan Breeding (IPB) in Los Baños have developed bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic resistance in abaca (Musa textiles) through radiation-induced mutation.

Dr. Teodora Dizon, also from IPB and a professor in CSC-UPLB, said that the product may be out in the market after four years.

Dizon’s team exposed the abaca plants to doses of gamma rays to induce the plant’s resistance to bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic viruses. Based on the study, one plant can only show resistance to only one type of virus.

Dizon also said that the product is competitive to the conventional plant. It is of good fiber quality and can compete with abaca plants that did not undergo irradiation. The plants will be commercialized through micropropagation.

Meanwhile, Dr. Antonio Lalusin has developed the molecular markets in abaca for use in breeding high fiber quality and bunchy top virus resistant cultivars.

He developed hybrids by combining abaca and banana genes. Lalusin hopes to develop markers that will show which plant will possess good fiber quality, resistance to bunchy top virus and will most likely deliver higher yields.

The Philippines is the world’s leading producer of abaca, providing 85 percent of the world’s supply. The industry brings an annual income of $80 million.