The Banana Project Team, in collaboration with Quirino State University’s Banana Resources Research and Development Center (BRRDC), has reached another milestone in agricultural innovation with the development of a new foliar fertilizer using radiation-modified kappa carrageenan (RMKC). This formulation is designed specifically to enhance the hardening response of tissue-cultured banana plantlets during the early growth stage, where plantlet survival and vigor are determined.

The innovation emerged as an outcome of the ongoing project, “Technology Utilization and Commercialization of Tissue-Cultured Banana in Quirino Province,” which aims to promote large-scale adoption of virus-free, high-quality planting materials among local farmers.

Knowing the importance of hardening in plantlet survival and vigor, Mr. Henrey R. Ignacio, a staff of BRRDC and a member of the Banana Project Team explored the potential of radiation-modified kappa carrageenan in improving leaf development and root initiation. Preliminary results show that incorporating RMKC into QSU’s hardening protocol has increased plantlet survival rates, reduced production cycles, and improved plantlet quality.

This presents a major step forward toward strengthening the reliability and commercial readiness of tissue-cultured banana (TCB) plantlets thus reinforcing QSU’s reputation as a leading institution in plant biotechnology in the Cagayan Valley Region.