|
The
National Abaca Research Center (NARC) of the Visayas State
University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte has just released eight
abaca varieties that promise to boost the country’s
fiber craft industry. These varieties were selected based
on their fibers’ properties like length, tensile strength,
yield, percent recovery, color, texture, luster, and uniformity
of fiber strand. These accessions now enhance the existing
collection of abaca germplasm at the NARC.
Of
the eight accessions selected, only NARC-M393, comes close
to Laylay, the standard variety for fiber craft. The researchers
used Laylay as the benchmark because its fiber strands are
coarse to soft, lustrous, white and slightly uniform, which
are fiber qualities preferred by most fiber craft processors.
Laylay stands out mainly because the uniformity of its fiber
strands makes it ideal for tinagak making. Tinagak or tinalak
is a traditional cloth of the Tiboli tribe that is made of
abaca.
For the pulp and paper industry, the NARC researchers led
by Prof. Luz O. Moreno had also reported ten promising accessions.
The selection was based on chemical and morphological fiber
properties. Fiber yield of these accessions ranged from 0.83
t/ha to 2.33 t/ha.
While
the market of abaca would not be as promising compared with
other sectors of the fiber industry, the demand will remain
stable because of the existing specific markets to serve.
Abaca fiber is highly preferred in oil dredging/exploration,
navies, and merchant shipping, as well as in the construction
business because it doesn’t slip easily.
Known as the ‘Manila hemp’, abaca is indigenous
to the Philippines. It grows well in the Bicol region and
in Eastern Visayas, particularly in Leyte, Southern Leyte
and Samar. It also grows in some areas in Central and Western
Visayas and in some parts of Mindanao.
Because of its relatively long staple length, strength and
cellulose content, abaca is particularly used in the manufacture
of a range of specialized papers including tea and coffee
bags, sausage casing paper, electrolytic papers, currency
notes, cigarette filter papers, medical/disposal papers and
some high quality writing papers.
With new industry uses like in the manufacture of car parts
that are biodegradable and with the growing concern for global
environmental protection and forest conservation, the abaca
industry is expected to continue to make a stronghold in both
the domestic and international markets. To date, the Philippines
supplies 85 % of the abaca fiber in the world market.
With the newly released accessions that are of good quality,
it is expected that the fiber industry would bring in more
dollars and contribute to the economic development of the
country.
Interested
abaca farmers can contact the NARC. The center’s modern
tissue culture laboratory can produce plantlets of any of
the chosen varieties because all of these promising accessions
are available at the center’s germplasm collection.
(Rick Angelo P. Piamonte/VSU-DDC)
|
