Sugarcane Breeding and Germplasm Development in the Philippines

Sugarcane breeding in the Philippines began a century ago. Early sugarcane farmers in the Philippines were dependent on introduced varieties for cultivation since the early 1900’s. However, planting of introduced varieties as commercial crops was practically eliminated in 1979 as the locally bred canes out-yielded introduced foreign varieties. The major commercial varieties currently grown in the Philippines include VMC 84-524, VMC 84-947, VMC 86-550, VMC 88-354 and PHIL 99-1793. Currently, there are three (3) institutions conducting activities in sugarcane genetic improvement. These are PHILSURIN (Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc.), SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration), and IPB-UPLB (Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines, Los Baños). Each breeding program uses different sets of materials and procedures, but their breeding objectives vary only slightly. PHILSURIN is the only private, not-for-profit research institution in the country undertaking sugarcane variety improvement. Intensive efforts to develop superior varieties for the Philippine sugar industry over the past two decades have produced a substantial number of varieties for commercial planting. This paper documents a general account of Philippines sugarcane industry, and sugarcane breeding and related activities and outlines the procedures and techniques used in PHILSURIN sugarcane variety development program.