chong
10-10-2009, 04:28 AM
Agony, Ecstasy, . . .
Early this year, I had been working with a friend from the Philippines about getting some Philippine native bananas. Around February or March, he told me that he was able to get me several dozen corms of Seņorita, Bungulan, Katali, short form Lacatan, and a seeded wild banana from the mountains. We both contacted numerous shippers, both in the US and in the Philippines, and none would accept shipment of the corms because they thought that they were prohibited. This, in spite of his showing a copy of my permit and the USDA regulations. So, in April, my friend decided to plant the corms in his farm while he continued to contact more shippers in Manila. At the same time, he contacted a TC Lab near his farm and contracted to have some of the corms TC’d.
Of the first couple of dozen corms he sent for analysis, 80% had the Bunchy Top Virus, most of which were the Seņoritas. So for the next few weeks he had his farm hands go all over his farm (10 hectares or 25 acres) to look for good specimen to bring to the Lab. Unfortunately, his workers did not mark their sources, and he suspected that some of them were removing pups from the same mats, so that they were getting the same percentage of infected materials.
Having finally gotten the ideal number of corms, the TC production went into motion around July. Then in August, he finally found a shipper who requested our documentation for the proposed shipment, and after verifying with the local authorities, agreed to accept our shipment of banana corms. Unfortunately, by this time (mid-August and early September), here are what some of the original corms looked like:
Seņorita - http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24743&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24743&ppuser=567)
Lacatan – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24742&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24742&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24744&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24744&ppuser=567)
Williams (for comparison) - http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24745&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24745&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24758&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24758&ppuser=567)
The corms are now too big to ship! So, I'll have to wait for the corms again next year. However, the TC process continues. I was just told that they will be another month or so, because they haven't got enough plants.
I had also sent him a couple of thousand Papaya seeds that he started sowing in May, inter-cropped with bananas. Here is what they looked like in August – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24747&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24747&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24746&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24746&ppuser=567)
Then in September – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24748&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24748&ppuser=567)
He was so ecstatic with the fast growth and fruiting of the variety. I was ecstatic with the growth of the bananas!
Early this year, I had been working with a friend from the Philippines about getting some Philippine native bananas. Around February or March, he told me that he was able to get me several dozen corms of Seņorita, Bungulan, Katali, short form Lacatan, and a seeded wild banana from the mountains. We both contacted numerous shippers, both in the US and in the Philippines, and none would accept shipment of the corms because they thought that they were prohibited. This, in spite of his showing a copy of my permit and the USDA regulations. So, in April, my friend decided to plant the corms in his farm while he continued to contact more shippers in Manila. At the same time, he contacted a TC Lab near his farm and contracted to have some of the corms TC’d.
Of the first couple of dozen corms he sent for analysis, 80% had the Bunchy Top Virus, most of which were the Seņoritas. So for the next few weeks he had his farm hands go all over his farm (10 hectares or 25 acres) to look for good specimen to bring to the Lab. Unfortunately, his workers did not mark their sources, and he suspected that some of them were removing pups from the same mats, so that they were getting the same percentage of infected materials.
Having finally gotten the ideal number of corms, the TC production went into motion around July. Then in August, he finally found a shipper who requested our documentation for the proposed shipment, and after verifying with the local authorities, agreed to accept our shipment of banana corms. Unfortunately, by this time (mid-August and early September), here are what some of the original corms looked like:
Seņorita - http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24743&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24743&ppuser=567)
Lacatan – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24742&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24742&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24744&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24744&ppuser=567)
Williams (for comparison) - http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24745&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24745&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24758&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24758&ppuser=567)
The corms are now too big to ship! So, I'll have to wait for the corms again next year. However, the TC process continues. I was just told that they will be another month or so, because they haven't got enough plants.
I had also sent him a couple of thousand Papaya seeds that he started sowing in May, inter-cropped with bananas. Here is what they looked like in August – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24747&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24747&ppuser=567) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24746&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24746&ppuser=567)
Then in September – http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=24748&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24748&ppuser=567)
He was so ecstatic with the fast growth and fruiting of the variety. I was ecstatic with the growth of the bananas!