Rare Mindanao plants can now be easily propagated

It is now easy to propagate endangered, endemic, rare, and economically important plant species that thrive in Mindanao.

The scientific headway was chalked up by Dr. Cecilia Amoroso of the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Bukidnon.

To date, the multi-awarded CMU scientist has successfully propagated some 50 species of endemic, endangered, rare, and economically important plants from Mindanao, it was reported by Leila C. America of the Los Baños based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

In her research work, Dr. Amoroso used the ex situ method (conservation of resources outside of its original habitat). Ex situ conservation may be in botanical and zoological gardens, greenhouse, or fernery.

Another ex situ method is in vitro culture, a technique that uses tissues culture methods in the maintenance, production, and modification of plant materials. It involves the growth of tissues of sterile culture vessels. The method has been used for the massive propagation of plants that are difficult to grow in the wild and in natural environment.

Dr. Amoroso reported on her project at an R&D symposium of the Northern Mindanao Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research and Development (NOMCARRD) not long ago.

She said the plants she used in her research were collected from Mindanao forests: Mt. Musuan and its vicinities in Bukidnon; Mt. Malindang, Misamis Occidental; Mt. Kalatungan, Pangantuoan, Bukidnon; and Mt. Calo-Calo, Valencia, Bukidnon.

The plants were planted in the greenhouse / fernery of CMU for ex situ conservation and tissue culture.

Some of the successfully propagated endangered, economically important, rare, and endemic plants were a fork fern (Tmesipteris lanceolata), a climbing forn (Lygodium magnusiasum), zebra taro, almciga, red ginger, celery top pine, begonia, netted adderstongue, rhododendron from Java, Jun bu huan, ribbon fern, boad plant, adderstongue fern, and lubia. – Rudy A. Fernandez