The corn derby or varietal trial of different hybrid corn varieties strengthens partnership between the Department of Agriculture and the local government of Escalante City, Negros Occidental, a DA press release said.

Dr. Joyce Wendam, DA-6 Regional Technical Director for Research, said that the corn derby is one important venue where corn farmers can select outstanding varieties that can really adopt and is suited to their locality.

Wendam said this Adaptability Yield Trial on Hybrid Yellow Corn or “Corn Derby” showcases five different varieties from five different corn seed companies wherein farmers can choose which variety he will adopt depending on the pest and disease tolerance and yield performance of each variety.

He also stressed that Escalante City is the recipient of the one million Community Participatory Action Research project of the DA-BAR together with the Province of Negros Occidental for CY 2010 which will also focus on recent technology on corn production.

The study also featured the use of Bio-N among all corn varieties as soil ameliorant, use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, and managing insect pest through IPM technology.

Ricardo Saltin the regional corn program coordinator said that the higher yield was attributed mainly to the wider adaptation of hybrid maize in the yellow corn growing areas of the country and the around one million hectares were planted since 2002 according to BAS data, the press release said.

The use of hybrid corn technology also resulted to yield improvements that contributed to an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent over a 17-year period since 1985.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Sobrevega, manager of WESVIARC, challenged the corn farmers to adopt the new technology and produce more to meet its increasing demand due to the expansion of livestock industry, particularly poultry and hog production.

The five varieties tested are GSI 40, Grainsfield 168, TSG 81, TSg 89 and 30B80 of Pioneer hybrid, the press release said.*

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