Sunday, August 14, 2011

Jackfruit is suitable for Leyte and Samar islands


Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is now an important crop in Leyte and Samar islands or Eastern Visayas (Region 8) in the Philippines. In fact, the Department of Agriculture (Region 8) and the Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program (ViCARP) based at VSU have made it a priority crop for the region. Consequently, more studies are now being conducted by research centers and universities to improve jackfruit productivity and to develop jackfruit-based food products.

Research funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (Manila) from 2000 to 2003 titled "Characterizing biophysical environments for research prioritization and agricultural production in Region 8 (VB Asio, BB Dargantes, PP Garcia, K Israel)" produced the first solid scientific evidence that jackfruit is generally suitable for the region based on climate, geology, topography, land use, and soil factors. Among the significant outputs of this research were the suitability maps developed using GIS for jackfruit, rambutan, mango, abaca, coconut, sweetpotato, and cassava which were distributed to all government agencies in the region starting 2004.

The suitability maps and other highlights of the research were also presented during the First Regional Fruit Congress in Tacloban City in 2003 which was attended by researchers, agricultural technicians, farmers, and policymakers. It was agreed at this congress to give priority to jackfruit and not mango which was found generally unsuitable for most parts of the region (except the northwestern side of Leyte whose climatic, geologic, and soil characteristics are closely similar to those of the nearby Cebu island).

(The land suitability map for jackfruit shown was the first draft version we developed in 2002. Photo of jackfruit tree was taken from www.backpackingmalaysia.com)

Reference:
Asio VB, BB Dargantes, PP Garcia, and K Israel. 2004. Characterizing biophysical environments for research prioritization and agricultural production in Region 8 (Leyte-Samar). Terminal Report, LSU-DA-BAR GIS Project.

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8 comments:

  1. DENR R8 ResearcherAugust 14, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Dr. Asio:
    now we know that the research using GIS on jackfruit that was presented in the recent R and D symposium is not anymore original. But I am wondering why your project was not at all mentioned in that new GIS study from DA? I remember the researcher/presenter said that it is the first jackfruit suitability map that is available. Can it be that they were not aware of your previous study?

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  2. Victor B. AsioAugust 14, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    I am very sure that they are well informed about our study.

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  3. AnonymousAugust 22, 2011 at 6:21 AM

    sir, what soil map did you use for the land suitability evaluation for jackfruit? Is it the soil series or a new soil classification map? May ginagawa rin kasi kami for other crops in Cagayan. marami pong salamat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Victor B. AsioAugust 26, 2011 at 2:25 AM

    Thanks for the comments. We developed a new soil map based on the USDA Soil Taxonomy. This was the map we used in our suitability evaluation.

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  5. RobertSeptember 8, 2011 at 7:46 AM

    Do you have info on nutrient requirements of jackfruit? Thanks.

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  6. Victor B. AsioSeptember 10, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    Yes I have. Please send me your email address so I can send the information to you as an email attachment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2013 at 7:51 PM

    Dear sir,

    1- what is the suitable enviroment for the jackfruit?

    2- is it possible to be planted in the middle east countries?

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownJanuary 13, 2014 at 12:14 PM

    What are the nutrient uptakes for jack fruits?

    ReplyDelete