Pechay production through suitable seedling establishment under two cultivation

systems in the Southern Philippines. Seedling management is very important in leafy

vegetable with short period of growing as it covers almost half of the production period.

Pechay is considered a high value and a highly demanded leaf vegetable in the

Philippines. These studies were conducted to determine the best method of raising

pechay seedlings including direct seeding, seed box and seedling tray under two

cultivation systems in different provinces of southern Philippines namely Bohol, Leyte

and Samar. The studies were conducted in each province and data were consolidated

and combined. Protected cultivation slightly manifested benefits on survival, root

characteristics and yield except in Bohol where 3 times fold yield of plants under

protective structure than open field. There was better survival and yield of using

seedling tray. The unfavorable method was seed box in Bohol and Leyte while direct

seeding in Samar as evident by low survival and yield. Among the three provinces in

southern Philippines, Leyte produced the highest yield of pechay per unit area. This

suggests that no similar method of raising seedlings was effective in different parts of

southern Philippines.
 Sayote is a green, papaya-shaped vegetable, a bit hairy and belongs to the gourd

family, just like cucumber, watermelon and pumpkin. The cucurbit is also known as

chayote or sechium edule. The sayote has several times served an important role

during calamities in the region. Sayote was used to help victims in the areas affected by

the 1990 killer earthquake that severely ravaged, among others, Baguio City. When Mt.

Pinatubo in Zambales erupted in 1991, Benguet farmers were mobilized and about 250

tons of sayote and other relief goods were sent to the victims. Recently, an “Oplan

Sayote” was again launched to help families affected by the typhoons in Quezon, Nueva

Ecija and Aurora provinces. Sayote is also the only sustainable vegetable in the market

because of its availability throughout the year, hence, earning the description “green

gold.” The cheapest vegetable in the market, sayote is grown especially in the Benguet

municipalities of Kibungan, Atok, Kapangan, Tuba and La Trinidad in northern

Philippines. In an interview by Northern Dispatch with Jerry Calasiao, 28, a farmer of

Sitio Gayasi, Wangal in La Trinidad town just a few kilometers from Baguio City, he

explained why his family plants sayote: “Napili mi ti sayote nga imula ditoy ayanmi ta

bassit ti magastos ken bumayag pay, saan ka a mula a mula a kasla kadagiti dadduma

a nateng nga agmula basta malpas ti apit.” (We chose to plant sayote because of the

minimal expense on farm inputs. Its lifespan is also long, unlike other vegetables which

require immediate re-planting after harvest time.) Sayote is also the best vegetable for

us because it’s harvestable weekly and can sustain our daily needs, he added.

According to Calasiao, a sayote plant survives for as long as 15 months before it is

replaced. He said, “We usually use three kinds of fertilizers, which are Triple 14, chicken

dung and Viking for better produce. Farmers can harvest 20-25 plastic sacks of sayote
weekly with the equivalent price of P1,500 to P2,000 depending on the market price,” he

added. The price of sayote usually increases during Christmas and summer, he

explained. Calasiao further said that farmers earn more during summer and during

typhoon months because few sayote products reach the market. This is because the

Halsema Highway, the road connecting Baguio City to the rest of the Cordillera

provinces, closes during typhoons due to landslides. A good price for sayote goes up to

P17 to P20 per kilo. Farmers claim that sayote price is at its lowest at 40 centavos per

kilo when supply from different municipalities abound. Roberto Calpasi and Manuel

Fermin, farmers from Atok and Kapangan, respectively, say that Benguet farmers have

failed to seize the opportunities offered by sayote farming. The two were referring to

the “tsamba system” wherein the farmer’s income is multiplied when the price goes

exceptionally up high. But even without this, the farmers still agree that there is money

in sayote. “You can harvest twice a week if you have a wide sayote garden. You have

less expense and minimized effort in sayote production,” Calpasi said. Best sayote

Gayasi of the village of Wangal is known as the sayote capital of La Trinidad. Diclas and

Calasiao both say that Wangal produces the best sayote in Baguio and Benguet. Being

near the market and trading post, their products are less damaged during transport,

they said. Sayote farmers said that programs that will help improve their sayote

production and marketing of their products will surely help. (Bulatlat)

 Red cabbage is native to southern Europe. At present, it is grown all over

Europe.

In Spain, this vegetable does not bear a significant economic and commercial interest

because the productions are usually limited to the demand of the domestic market as a

popular vegetable. Its culture spreads along the Mediterranean coast, from Barcelona to

Murcia, being the central regions, Madrid and Toledo, the main producers, perhaps

because of the special appreciation of the Madrilenian consumers towards this

vegetable.

This vegetable is generally grown in most of the European countries, mainly France and

Italy, as well as Africa and mainly in Minor Asia.

There is no data for such a species in the ‘Anuarios de Estadística Agraria del Ministerio

de Agricultura’, since they include the two species of cabbage: Brassica oleracea var.

capitata (varieties of cabbages of even leaves, headed cabbage, red cabbage, white

cabbage) and Brasica oleracea var.bullata (cabbage of curly leaves, Savoy cabbage).

These two species amount to 343,600 t in the Spanish production, in which numerous

Spanish provinces participate. However, most of the production comes from Pontevedra

and Valencia. 67% of this yield is intended for marketing in fresh in the domestic

market. Exports only represent 1% of the total production (MAPA 1991).

REFERENCE
Bulatlat - The Philippines’s alternative weekly magazine. (n.d.). Bulatlat - The Philippines’s

Alternative Weekly Magazine. https://www.bulatlat.com/news/5-4/5-4-sayote.html

Increasing pechay (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis) production through suitable seedling

establishment under two cultivation systems in the Southern Philippines – Annals of

Tropical Research. (n.d.). Increasing Pechay (Brassica Rapa L. Ssp. Chinensis)

Production through Suitable Seedling Establishment under Two Cultivation Systems in

the Southern Philippines – Annals of Tropical Research.

https://annalsoftropicalresearch.com/increasing-pechay-brassica-rapa-l-ssp-chinensis-

production-through-suitable-seedling-establishment-under-two-cultivation-systems-in-

the-southern-philippines/

Red Cabbage - Origin and production. (n.d.). Red Cabbage - Origin and Production.

https://www.frutas-hortalizas.com/Vegetables/Origin-production-Red-Cabbage.html#:

%7E:text=Red%20Cabbage%20%2D%20Origin%20and%20production&text=Red

%20cabbage%20is%20native%20to,market%20as%20a%20popular%20vegetable.