The Department of Agriculture (DA) has urged local investors to commercialize viable agricultural biotechnology products.

DA officials told participants of an investment forum Tuesday that a high-yielding hybrid abaca resistant to the dreaded bunchy-top virus and with good fiber quality is just of many agri-biotech products that are ready for commercial production.

The high-yielding, bunchy top virus-resistant hybrid abaca was developed by the Crop Science Cluster-Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB-IPB).

Funded by the DA, the technology addresses bunchy-top virus, a major disease which accounts for up to 77 percent yield loss in abaca. The technology assures up to 300 percent increase in fiber yield from the current 600 kilos per hectare. It also needs less pesticide.

Another publicly-funded agri-biotech product, the Macapuno Embryo Culture Technology, offers investors a simpler, faster and low-cost embryo culture production technology.

Dubbed "Ok ang Kabuhayan sa Biotech!," the forum was one of the highlights of the 2009 National Biotechnology Week celebrations held at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Aside from the virus-resistant abaca and macapuno, technology developers also offered investment in the commercial cultivation and production of the the first-of-its-kind synthetic coconut variety, called San Ramon synthetic coconut variety.

Developed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the PCA SYN VAR 001 was recognized as the first in the world. The Orgullo Tall - SV Ramon technology is being eyed as a key strategy in the mass propagation of improved planting materials for the National Coconut Planting and Replanting Program through partnership with the private sector.

Another product is the PCA Macapuno Embryo Culture Technology, which ensures low-cost embryo culture production technology to make true-to-type macapuno. Through the technology, the usual production cycle of 13 months is reduced by three months. The streamlined process also cuts down production costs, resulting in more affordable seedlings.

PCA has also developed a mechanism for the control of Brontispa. The technology involves the use of disease-causing fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, to control of the coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima, in young coconut palms.

The technology will be used for Brontispa control in coconut nurseries, when seedlings can be infested and suffer poor plant growth and even death.

Biotech tools such as tissue and embryo culture as well as molecular markers were utilized in the development of these technologies, DA said.

"These publicly-generated technologies are now promoted for commercial adoption. As an intervention, the DA Biotech Program intends to support in bridging the gap towards full technology commercialization through the conduct of an investor's forum," DA added.