Seed Diversity and Utilization of the Upland Rice Landraces and Traditional Varieties from Selected Areas in Bukidnon, Philippines

Abstract

Enhancing upland rice production is one solution to achieve rice sufficiency in the country. Improved genotypes contribute to this goal at a relatively low cost to farmers, but available resources need to be assessed first. This study determined the availability of upland rice landraces and traditional varieties (URLTVs) in selected areas of Bukidnon, estimated the seed diversity of available genotypes, and documented their use. Twenty-four Barangays from 10 municipalities and 2 cities were surveyed from November 2010 to May 2011. Interviews (n=45), seed sourcing, and evaluation of 13 seed traits were done. One hundred forty URLTVs were collected, of which 82 (59%) were from San Fernando, Bukidnon whose peoples were mostly of the Matigsalug tribe. Shannon-Weaver Diversity estimates for 100 seed weight, grain length and width, grain thickness, caryopsis length and width, and lemma: apiculus color showed high diversity (H’=0.76 to 0.88). URLTVs were grown for household consumption, church offering and for special occasions, and to reduce chemical inputs. For the Matigsalugs, their URLTVS serve to strengthen their cultural beliefs and are trademarks for their tribal group. Collection from other areas of Bukidnon needs to be done to ascertain other available germplasm and possible threats to these plant genetic resources. Keywords - plant genetics, Oryza sativa, agro-ecosystem diversity, rice production, upland rice, Bukidnon, Philippines