Introducing ‘Job’s tears,’ substitute food staple

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is tapping nuclear science to develop better varieties of adlai, also called “Job’s tears” – which is being considered as a substitute to Filipino staple food crops such as rice and corn.

The DOST’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) is getting positive initial results in using gamma radiation on the Ginampay variety of adlai to improve the agronomic traits of the plant by making mutant varieties that yield more grain and mature earlier, while also having shorter heights to make the crops more resistant to lodging during typhoons.

The trait improvements will also complement the Food Staples Sufficiency Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which encourages the diversification of staple food crops beyond rice by increasing production, ensuring market availability and lowering their prices.

Aside from attaining improvement in traits, the gamma radiation is also aimed at developing a variety that yields more grains, the DOST-PNRI said.

Researchers from the PNRI Agriculture Research Section said the mutation breeding of the Ginampay variety of adlai in their experimental field, where the putative mutants are in their third and fourth generations, showed promising results.

It was learned that the putative mutant breeds yielded from 790 kilograms of grain per hectare to as much as 900 kg/ha, which is around 30-50 percent higher than the yield of average crop breeds. Meanwhile, the putative adlai mutants were also 40-57 percent shorter than the un-irradiated ones.

Aside from developing mutant varieties, PNRI also seeks to improve the fertilizer, soil nutrient and water management practices for adlai. Field experiments are also being conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) under an International Atomic Energy Agency project on “Enhancing Productivity of Locally Underused Crops Through Dissemination of Mutated Germplasm and Evaluation on Soil, Nutrient and Water Management Practices.”

The PNRI researchers will continue to develop the adlai crops up to the eighth generation to complete the mutation breeding process.

While just as rich in carbohydrates and protein, adlai is not as well known as its cousin crops, except among indigenous communities.

The DOST said that in other Asian countries, adlai is also being used to produce flour, coffee, tea, wine, beer and vinegar, among other products.

Adlai is also said to have some medicinal properties that can help mitigate the symptoms of allergies, diabetes and even cancer. The plant is known for its resilience in the face of extreme conditions, such as droughts and typhoons.