Bayer says hybrid corn variety tops local gov’t trial in Cebu
A VARIETY of hybrid corn produced by Bayer Crop Science known as De Kalb 9118S topped a government trial in Asturias, Cebu, posting a return on investment of 84.7% and yielding a net income of more than P45,000 per hectare, the company said in a statement Sunday.
The variety is resistant to foliar disease, banded leaf sheath blight, and stalk rot disease, according to a statement issued on behalf of Bayer Philippines.
“Aside from being the top performer in the Asturias corn derby, De Kalb 9118S characteristics include high shelling recovery at 84%, which indicates heavy grains once the corn ears are removed from the cobs,” according to Erwin G. Vibal, Grower Marketing Lead of Bayer Crop Science.
“This is advantageous for end-users who require high yield output from corn production,” he added.
The trial sought to determine the performance of various hybrid corn varieties in the market.
Placing second and third were Bayer varieties De Kalb 9919S and De Kalb 6919S,” respectively.
Asturias municipal agriculturist Jade Mesias said that Asturias is the biggest corn-producing town in Cebu.
“Asturias is now the biggest in the whole of Cebu province in terms of land area planted to hybrid corn,” she said.
“The impact will be very significant, both socially and economically if we’re able to plant more area to hybrid corn,” Ms. Mesias added. — Angelica Y. Yang
