Progressive farming: use hybrid corn for seeds

Title

Language

English

Source

Farming and Cooperatives Volume 1 (Issue No. 3-4) January-February 1946

Year

1946

Subject

Corn

Corn breeding

Farming -- Philippines

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[This article features the latest development in corn breeding which adopted by Filipino farmers. It focuses on the different methods used to control pollination]

Fulltext

16. GiTe seneral inatr11ction1 OD what to do after farrowing. After farrowing the sow will not eat for 12 to 24 hours. As soon as it is noticed that she wants to cat give a thin slop of the same feed she used to be fed before farrowing. The consistency of the slop feed and the amount should be gradually increased from day to day so that in about a week she can be given the regular amount which is all she will eat in two or preferably three feedings. Frequent visits . and judicious surveillance are necessary during farrowing and for se\"eral days after in order to see to it that the sucK!ings are not crushed by the dam. In the fourth day after farrowing and even on the third. if the pies are strong and healthy. allow the dam to roam in a fenced yard or tether her in an onen field for sunning and exercise. The pigs at this time begin to root and are able to obtain some minerals from the ground. In the soil there ma~· be traces of conner necessary to nrev"nt. anemia. Every tJrecaution should bn taken to !Pt them roam in clean ground where pigs liave not heen kent for someti,...e. They should have nn access to mudd" nlaces. 811ch stens mll ...,.eatly reduce intestinal worm infe•tntion. Tt is desirable t.i)at three feedin~s be given two wPeks after farrowint? because the sucklinl? pil!'l' bc<!in then to nibble. At three week• they foin tbe dam more regular!v. "\\'hen it. is noticed that the sucklinP"S m to crow<! the dam it is better to let them eat in a senarate feeding trough. ureparatory to the dlly when they will have to be weaned. Some peonle in fact build creepers, which are contra17tiom< so built that the young mav go in and out to eat peacefully without being . bothered by the dam. This is not necessary when t.he dam is tethered, as the feed trough for the sucklings can he nlaced at a distance far from the dam's reach. It is better to keep the dam and young in-doors during heavy or continuoul!< rain but clean clods of earth should be thrown in for the plgs to root. 17. Wllen is the best time to wean? When the pigs are eight , to ten weeks old. At this stage the important thing to observe is whether they are .. eating heartily of the slop feed fed to the dam and if the pigs look mong and healthy. Weaning at this age helps the dam to recuperate quickly and enable her to breed and produce pigs earlier. 18. How ia weaning· done? In weaning it is the dam that is taken away from the sucklings and placed where the young can not hear her grunts. In this way the young do not fret so much, as they are UEed to their surroundings. They will <mly miss their dam. (Continued on page !t2) FARMING AND COOPERATIVES PROGRESSIVE FARMING USE HYBRID CORN FOR SEEDS JOSE CRISANTO ( Acthig S11pen;sor on Special Dcfa.il Vocational Educat.ion Divi.sion, Department of Inst1~1ction) The practical development of varieties that are inherently more productive than those now used is of great importance to Philippine agricultui"C. The improvement of corn through breeding and better cultural rractices has occupied th!i attention of growers, especially of government agencies who have the technical men and the re· sources to conduct such experiments on crop development. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture has discovered that the utilization of two breeding methods, mass selection and breeding within inbred lines, pro· duce hybrid corn. This latest development in corn breeding technique has produced hybrids which have estabished their superiority in productiveness and in resistance to wind, diseases, and other unfavorable conditions. Upon this basic knowledge, the Filipino farmer is offered an opportunity to augment his income through the use of hybrid corn seeds suitable to his loyality. The question arises, from what sources will farmers obtain their seeds? Knowing the peculiarity of behavior of hybrid seeds, it is of paramount importance that centers of distribution be established, wherein a particular hybrid corn seed has been deve. loped, adapted to the local conditions Only the first filial generation may be used to produce the desired results in productiveness, and other desirable features. Methods Und to Control Pollination The following technique of corn hybridization is being described: "The development of inbred lines and their later use in the production of hybrid corn necessitates controlled pollination. During the inbreeding pc· riod and the period of· experimental crossing,, pollination usually is controlled by hand-bagging of the ears and tassels. In the large-scale production of hybrids, the pollination is controlled by isolation and detasseling. Self-pollination or "selfing" consists in pollinating the silks of selected plants with pollen from the tassels of the same plants. Two quite different methods of accomplishing self-pollination are in common use. Both methods require that the young ear shoot be covered to exclude foreign pollen before the silks emerge. Shall glassine bags are very convenient for this purpose. Later operations differ widely for the two methods and will be described separately. In one procedure, (which for convenience may be called the "tasselbagging method,") when the silks appear, the glassine bag 'is removed, the young shoot is cut back by trimming off the silks to three quarters of an inch of the tips of the husks, and the glassine bag is replaced. The tassel is enclosed in a large bag at this time. In 24 to 48 hours an even brush of fresh silks 1-1 /2 to 2 inches long will have grown out. The pollen is collect· ed in the tassel bag and dusted bn the silks, then the shoot is again covered with the large tassel bag, which remains over the ear until harvest. A second method, usually designated as the "bottle method" was developed. When the silks appear under the pro· tecting glassine bag, the bag is removed and the shoot is trimmed back as in the previous method. A 2-ounce bottle of water ·is hung from the stalk at the ear-bearing node. The tassel is cut from the stalk, its shank is inserted in the bottle of water, and tassel and shoot are enclosed in large paper bag. The tassel should be arranged directly above the ea!· shoot. The bottle of water serves to keep the tassel alive while new silks appear, and as fresh silks (Continued on page 24) 17 struction of houses, sheds, fencing,--------------------------------·~--~---" purchase of breeding stock, appliances, selection and culling of stock, castration, caponization and other topics on animal culture that may be of interest to the public. 39. Can awine be raiaed in tbe Philippine& in lar1re groupa hy pri"f'ate enterprise&? Yes. Before this war there were already quite a number of persons in many provinces who raised pigs in large groups of not less than , fifty head mostly grade or purebred stock. The...;, were raised largely under conditions favorable to the cheap acquisition of the bulk of feed fed. 40. Where were aome of theae locat• ed? In Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Pampang!l, Pangasinan, Occidental Negros, and Davao. However, as far as the condition of the land was concerned, many were not satisfactorily located but the promises could• be greatly improved by draining pools or filling up the mud holes. They were either near rice mills, corn mills or coconut plantations or coconut oil factories where copra cake, or copra meal were cheaply available. Some were near and took advantage of the garbage from restaurants, hotels or army barracks; some were able to obtain brewer's grain practically free; and some had a combination of these feed facilities. 41. '\Vb.at is a aatisfactory condition of land in the raisin&' of pie•? In the raising of pigs, especially in larger numbers where the home left-overs do not suffice to feed them, it is necessary to have land that drains easily ,.and, if possible, of sufficient size so that forage and even pasture plants may be grown to reduce expenses. 42. What kind of land draina euily? High or rolling land ea..<ily drains, or may be easily drained; and , land with sandy, loam, or sandy-loam soils that permit water to filter through in a short time. 43. Why ia that neceuary? Because it is important to prevent mud pools to form ~o easily as they become sources of infection especially of intestinal parasites. 44. How ia the beat way to a tart a swine project larger in size than a home ~it? There .are really many ways to start such projects. But the more ordinary ways are as follows: 24 (a) By buying from a reliable party the desired number of selected gilts or sows and a boar. The chances of starting with selected stock that are not sick of a contagious disease can be easily ascertained. It may be mentioned here that buying from different sources expose the project to more chances of di~ease, especially if the stock is bought from sources that are not properly attended or organized. Progressive Farming •.• grow they are pollinated by pollen from the enclosed tasse I. It has been found advantageous to use n mild disinfectant in the water to retard the growth of m~cro~organizms and thus lengthen the life of the tassel. A solution of sodium bisulphite 1 :2,000, which must be fresh, has proven very satisfactory for this purpos·e. After 48 to 72 hours the tassels may be removed and the bottles collected. These may be used again for other pollinations." 1 Several satisfactory methods of hand crossing are in common use. The young shoots must be protected from stray pollen as in selfing. When the silks appear the plants may be crossed in a manner similar to either the tasselbagging method or the bottle method described above. 'Vhere larger quantities of seeds are required, it is usual to mix the pollen collected from several plants of one line and apply it to the silks ~Year Book of Agriculture, 193G of the Dept. o! Agriculture, U. S. (b) By buying selected sows and distributing to dependable tenants or friends who have none to raise but have the facilities. Usually the arrangement is that the original stock , always belon.g to the owner and the young 1s partitio;..ed equally by the .' pa~t ne1·s. In this way if there 1s disease in any among the ones purch~.ed from different sources, the sick animal is almost in quaranti:ne and the ,disease does not easily spread. In case th<; tena.nt after a year wishes to d1scontmue the arrangement he has a means to start his own p1·oject and the owner, without extra expense has more animals than at start. In this case it is understood that a well selected or a purebred boar is •. upplied by the owner to breed the sows or he makes the arrangements to have the sows bred to a boar in a government breeding station or center. ( c) A, system followed by a number is to .-buy a good boar, usually a purebred boar, and adverti•e among his neighbors that a successful , breeding is payable at the rate of one selected newly weaned gilt resulting from the breeding. In a year, from 60' to as high as 100 gilts ll!ay ~e ~ollect ed. In this connection 1t is. well to warn that it is ,not adVIE=able for new swine raise1·s or those without sufficient experience to go at once into the production of a large number of pigs. (To Be Continued) (Continued from pa.ge 17) of the desired number of plants in other lines. The larger scale or commercial production of crossed seed is accomplished by planting alternate blocks of the two parents in a field isolated from other com and removing the tassels from all of one kind before pollen has been shed. The seed picked from these detasseled rows is hybrid seed. The ratio of pollen rows to detasseled rows varies from 1 :2 to 1 :4 depending on the vigor and pollen-producing ability of the pollen rows. Where inbred lines are being crossed, the more usual ratio is 1 :2 and where single crosses are being crossed to produce double crosses the proportion of po11en rows, under favorable circun1stances, may be reduced to 1 :4. This description of hybridizing corn may well be followed in agricultural schools thus enabling the different localities to produce the hybrid seeds adapted to the locality. lt is evident that work along this line necessitates a considerable time before satisfactory results may be obtained. However, this work can be conducted in coope1·ation with the Bureau of Plant Industry Experiment Stations in order to hasten results and avoid duplication of work. This is the right time to start experiments on corn hybridization with the objective of discovering a hybrid that will greatly i·edound to the benefit of our farme1•s. The corn production of this country is undeniably very low mainly due to the fact that our farmers do very little seed selection and in several instances they just resort to buying their seeds from the market because whatever they have produced and saved for seeds for the next planting had been consumed for food or fed to animals. With the production of hybrid corn for seeds in the different localities where experiment stations and agricultural schools are established the use of hybrid corn for seeds would be then a established practice of progressive farming in this country. * * * HOME GADGETS Mechanizing of farming in the Philippines often gives the wrong conception to many people. Many have ~he belief that when we say "mechanize our agriculture" it mans the revolutionizing of our farming by big capitalists by the use of big motors, tractors, machineries be

pages

17, 24

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