MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija - The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) based here recommended Tuesday the release of two inbred rice (palay) varieties to give rice farmers in irrigated lowlands more options in choosing varieties suited for their area.
The Technical Working Group of the National Seed Industry Council recommended the release of NSIC Rc224 (Tubigan 19) and NSIC Rc226 (Tubigan 20) after the varieties showed better performance than the varieties PSB Rc82 and PSB Rc18 during the multi-location adaptation trials. Emily C. Arocena, one of the varieties' breeders, said NSIC Rc224 yielded an 11.5 and 7 percent advantage over PSB Rc82 and PSB Rc18, respectively. (Franco G. Regala)
