UPLBRDEDigest_Vol1No2

8/9/2019 UPLBRDEDigest_Vol1No2

1/20Volume 1 Number 2May - October 2009

RDEDigestOfficial Research, Development and Exof the University of the Philippines Los

IN

this

ISSUE:

visit us at http://rdenews.uplb.edu.ph

PLB gets 30M grant for food

security program in Regions 4 and 5

series o DA-BAR consultations withvarious institutions, including UPLBand other state colleges and universities.Te DA, then, started streamlining theimplementation o its FIELDS programhat seeks to increase the productivity ohe agricultural sector by providing unds

or ertilizer, inrastructure, educationand extension work, loans, postharvestacilities, and seeds.

Te DA-BAR director said that DArecognizes the role o UPLB in providingechnical and training support to the

current extension delivery system o thedepartment in the rice sector. He saidhat more commodities will eventually be

included in the program.

Chancellor Velasco expressed his gratitudeo the DA or entrusting UPLB to providehe research and extension services needed

by agricultural technicians and armers in

he regions.

Program leader and College o PublicAairs (CPA Dean Dr. Agnes C. Rola,

promised that her team will documentthe best practices in the implementationo the FIELDS program and analyze theconstraints in the production o rice andother commodities.

Te program will be implemented byCPA in collaboration with the College oAgriculture and other UPLB units. Te

program will also ocus on strengtheningthe capability o the DA regional eldunits, state universities and colleges, localgovernment units, and other organizationsin eectively managing the governmentsrice sel-suciency program.

o strengthen and sustain partnershipamong rice stakeholders, the program willalso help the provincial and municipalgovernment institutions create legalrameworks needed to support agricultural

development planning. (Florante A. Cruz)

PHOTO: FACRUZ

DA-BAR Executive Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar (center) presents UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco

and CPAf Dean Agnes C. Rola an enlarged copy of the check. Flanking them are Vice-Chancellor for Re-

search and Extension Enrico P. Supangco (leftmost) and College of Agriculture Dean Domingo E. Angeles

(rightmost). Behind them are CA Cluster Directors Dr. Rodrigo B. Badayos and Dr. Jose E. Hernandez.

he University o the Philippines

Los Baos (UPLB) recentlyreceived a P30M grant ora ood security program rom the

epartment o Agriculture (DA)hrough the Bureau o Agricultural

Research (BAR).

Tis was held in simple ceremonies athe UPLB Operations Room last July9, attended by university ocials led

by Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco whoormally received the P30M check

rom DA-BAR Director Nicomedes P.Eleazar who represented AgricultureSecretary Arthur C. Yap. Te grant

will und the UPLB-led participatoryprogram Collaborative Research,

evelopment and Extension Servicesor Food Security that aims to helpensure rice sel-suciency ni Regions

A, 4B and 5.

uring the ceremonies, DirectorEleazar disclosed that the projectconcept came up as a result o a

Bioethanol from grass, wood ...

Diesel from microalgae ...

Conserving the ayungin ....

Biofuel-timber plantation ...

Organic products center launch ...

Bakanae disease of rice ...

Microbial rennet for cheese industry ...

Biosafety regulations costly ....

Degrading plastics using fungus ...

Bioremediating wastewater ...

Squash varieties for processing ...

Pesticide use in coconut okay ...

Grafting to reduce eggplant disease ..

Mangroves fight global warming ...

Search for biofuels ...

Biotech to revive duck industry ...

UPLB technologies to be aired ...

Training for Cambantoc held ...

SESAM monitors envi risks ...

New machinery introduced ...

Store Jatropha seeds right ...

Fish get to ride in fish ark ...

Cellphone-based guide for soil ID ...

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2/202University of the Philippines Los BaosResearch, Development and Extension Digest

Researchers target

bioethanol from

grass, wood and by-

products in 5 years

Te University o the Philippines LosBaos (UPLB) has recently organizeda group o biotechnologists andchemical engineers to conduct scienticinvestigations in a bid to produceethanol rom so-called 3rd generat onbiouel eedstocks.

NEWS

Philippines quest

for diesel from

microalgae

starts at UPLB

Biouel research and development is ast

aining momentum in the Philippines,with current ocus on Jatropha, sweetsorghum and cassava. Just recently,he drive to produce diesel uel rom

renewable and non-ood biodiesel

PHOTO:Chlorellavulgaris,

KarlBruun,

algaebase.o

r

PHOTO:Cogon

Imperatacylindrica),commons.w

ikimedia.o

rg

Leading this group is Dr. Fidel ReyP. Nayve, Jr. o UPLBs NationalInstitute o Molecular Biology andBiotechnology (BIOECH whoseeyes are set on producing uel ethanolrom lignocellulosic materials readilyavailable in the Philippinesgrass,

wood and agricultural by-products.

Rice straw, rice hull, sugarcane bagasse,corn stover corn cobs, and even dried

wood, cogon and talahib are jampackedwith lignocellulose, composed ocellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.

Lignocellulose can be ermented toproduce ethanol uel.

Meanwhile, dimethyl ether, another by-product o lignocellulose ermentation,is also a promising uel source or dieseland petroleum engines and even gas-

powered turbines.

r. Nayve recently reported thathe Department o Science and

echnology (DOS) through itsPhilippine Council or AdvancedScience and echnology Research and

evelopment (PCASRD will soonrant the UPLB scientists P10M in

research unds to develop technologiesor cellulosic uel ethanol production.

According to him, he is optimistic thathaving a mature technology within thenext ve to 10 years is in the ong.

BIOECH has already in its care,several microorganisms which canbe used to process grass, wood andagricultural by-products into ethanol.

Studies will be underway to identiywhich materials can be suitable orethanol production and developing andoptimizing the organisms capabilityo erment the materials into ethanol.Florante A. Cruz)

eedstock such as microalgae has gottena big boost.

Proessor Emeritus Milagros R.Martinez-Goss o the University o thePhilippines Los Baos (UPLB) gotthe nod o the Department o Scienceand echnology (DOS) PhilippineCouncil or Aquatic and MarineResources Research and Development(PCAMRD to und her proposal to

mass cultivate reshwater microalgae orbiodiesel eedstock.

Microalgae organisms can be easilygrown and used to produce a wide rangeo commercially interesting by-products.

O particular interest to manyresearchers is that microalgae can

produce enormous amounts o lipidswhich can be converted into diesel uel.

In 2007, Yusu Chisti o MasseyUniversity, New Zealand estimatedthat microalgae can produce as muchas 136,900 liters o oil/ha compared toonly 1,892 liters/ha rom atropha.

Coconut, according to Chistis study,can only give a slightly better oil yieldo 2,689 liters/ha than atropha.

With an initial unding o P4.5M romhe DOS-PCAMRD, Dr. Goss will

be mass cultivating promising species oreshwater microalgae such as hlorellavulgaris, Scendesmus obliqus and

Nitzschia palae

She stated that the three species havehe potential as biodiesel eedstockbecause o their growth rate, lipidcontent and lipid prole.

r. Goss project is part o a largerresearch program aimed to characterize,optimize and genetically and

physiologically modiy microalgae ormass cultivation to be used or biodiesel

production.

Te program will be acilitatedby UPLB in cooperation with theAteneo de Manila University and theUniversity o Santo omas. (Florante A.

ruz)


3/20Volume 1 Number 2May - October 2009 3

Ayungin target of

conservaon aempt

by limno experts

Ayungin (Leiopotherapon plumbeus), areshwater sh species endemic in thePhilippines, is thinning in population.

A small silver-colored sh, ayungin usedto be plenty in the countrys reshwaterbodies, such as Laguna de Bay.

Its overshing by local shermen mainlyor duck eeds and amily consumptionhas now made it scarce.

UPLB puts up biofueland mber plantaon

in Laguna-Quezon

land grant

NEWS

Part o the 6,500-hectare land grantproperty o the University o thePhilippines Los Baos (UPLB)straddling the provinces o Laguna andQuezon, is currently being developedinto tree arms or biouel, timber andagroorestry enterprises.

With a P13M grant rom the NationalEconomic and Development Authority,the UPLB Land Grant ManagementOce (LGMO) is setting up a120-hectare mixed plantation site withinthe UP Laguna-Quezon land grant.

An 80-hectare plantation adjacent to theland grant is also being developed orlivelihood opportunities o people livingin the nearby upland communities.

PHOTO:Ayungin(Leiopotheraponplumbeus),

SidneySnoeck,

my_

sarisari_

store.t

ypepad.c

om

PHOTO: Courtesy of LGMO

Te tastiest sh o all the edible nativereshwater species in the Philippines,ayungin is now rarely seen and sold inthe market. When available, it costs asmuch as P500 per kilo.

A research project at UPLB, undedby the Department o Science andechnology (DOS)PhilippineCouncil or Aquatic and MarineResources Research and Development(PCAMRD) is underway to saverom threat this reshwater sh. Dr.Pablo P. Ocampo, head o the UPLBLimnological Research Station, hasestablished a captive breeding programto save the ayungin.

Dr. Ocampo reported that ayungincollected by the program romLaguna de Bay has been successullymaintained in the stations concretetanks. Te collected ayunginbroodstock was ound responding

well to a specially ormulated diet

combination o commercial prawn eedsand Tubiexworms.

Te project has studied ways on how toinduce the ayungin to naturally spawnin an articial environment. Whilesimulated rain, owing water, vegetation,sand and soil have been incorporatedinto the articial environment, theresearch stations ndings suggested thatayungin rom the wild may nd it tonaturally reproduce in captivity.

Nonetheless, Dr. Ocampo reported thatthe rearing techniques used were beingrened. Experiments were underway todetermine whether live eeds may helpthe ayungin to breed inside the tanks.

Hopeully, the captive breedingtechniques being researched on maycome to ruition. With success, the

project can provide more Filipinos thechance to taste and savor once again thetraditional delectable dishes preparedrom ayungin. (Florante Cruz)

In a report by Forester Soronio C.Camacho o the LGMO, ubang-bakod(Jatropha curcas) and Bani (Pongamia

pinnata) will soon be planted inthese areas. ubang-bakod has gained

prominence in the country or its biouelpotential, while Bani seed oil, also ounduseul or diesel generators, is now beingeyed worldwide as a biodiesel eedstock.

Te university hopes to eventuallysell biouel oil to the PhilippineForest Corporation-Alternative FuelsCorporation and Philippine NationalOil Company.

Fast-growing and non-traditional orestspecies such as bagalunga, batino,anchoan dilaw and malapapaya will alsobe grown or timber. Wood rom theorest plantation will be processed intokiln dried lumber, urniture, xture andhousing material components later on.

wo large nurseries are now establishedand continuously producing qualityseedlings or planting materials in the

project site. Forester Camacho alsoreported that organizing work is beingdone in the communities near the

project site. (Florante A. Cruz)



UPLB project launches

organic products

center in Baras, Rizal

Baras, the organic arming capital oRizal and the rst organic town in thecounty now beams with pride with thelaunching o the Baras Organic ProductsCenter (OPC) last July 13.

Te launching o the Baras OPC is anoutput o the Organic Vegetable ProjectOVP) being implemented by the

University o the Philippines Los BaosUPLB) and the National Economic

and Development Authority (NEDA .

Te Agricultural Systems Cluster (ASCo the College o Agriculture (CA)

with the article writer as project leaderand Dr. Edna Luis A. Matienzo as sitecoordinator spearhead this project.

Collaborating with the ASC are theKasamahan sa Kalikasang PagsasakaMultipurpose Cooperative (KAKASA-MPC , the Oce o the Mayor and theMunicipal Agriculture Oce o Baras,Rizal.

Te products put on sale in the OPCinclude organic vegetables, rice andruits. It also sells arm inputs likeorganic ertilizers, ermented oliar spray,botanical pest spray, vegetable seedlingsand open pollinated vegetable seeds.

Aside rom products, the OPC alsopromotes to walk-in visitors UPLB-

enerated technologies such as:propagation o earwigs as biologicalpest control; production o tea manure,ermented plant and ruit juices as liquidertilizers and plant growth promoters;

production o open-pollinated vegetableseeds; organic vegetable seedling nurserymanagement, proper postharvesthandling o organic vegetables; use oBIO-N and MykoVam to enhance plant-soil nutrient management.

Meanwhile, the OPC also oersrainings on organic arming, arm

NEWS

tours, study visits, a reading corner andtechnical advising.

o ensure the regular supply oorganic products sold in the center, a1.5 ha communal organic vegetable

production area is maintained by theKAKASA-MPC using organic armingtechnologies developed by UPLB andother agencies.

Te backyard arms cultivated byKAKASA-MPC members alsocontribute to the supply o products.

Started in October 2007, the UPLB-NEDA OVP continues to provide

var ous tra n ng courses, sem narsand study tours or KAKASA-MPCmembers.

Te project is being done in cooperationwith the local government o Baras,Department o rade and Industryo Rizal, and the Department oAgriculture Region IV-A.

Te project got unding supportrom the NEDA Region IV-A andhe RP-Japan Grant Assistance or

Underprivileged Farmers (KR2).

Te project is also being implementedin ayabas, Quezon with Ms. MyrnaA. enorio as site coordinator. A third

project site will soon be established inBauan, Batangas.

Te OPC launching was witnessed byUPLB Vice-Chancellor Dr. EnricoP. Supangco; Ms. Mara Pardo Deavera, Managing Director o MarasOrganic Market (MOM) and presidento the Organic Producers and radeAssociation (OPA), Philippines;Regional Director Severino C. Santos,OIC o the NEDA Region IV-A;Provincial Director Mercedes A.Parreo o the DI-Rizal; Mayor

Wilredo C. Robles o Baras and Mr.Eduardo Espinola, Chair o KAKASA-MPC. (Blesilda M. Calub

THE BARAS ORGANIC PRODUCTS CENTER (OPC) is located in Barangay Evangelista along the

National Highway connecting the towns of Tanay and Morong, Rizal. It can be reached through the

following mobile numbers: 0920 622 5874 and 0920 718 0028.

PHOTO: Courtesy of BMCALUB



NEWS

Bakanae disease

of rice a potenal

threat to the

countrys rice supply

Bakanae, a disease o rice caused bythe ungus Giberella ujikuroi, may

pose a threat to the countrys ricesupply.

Rice plants inected with bakanaehave abnormal elongation growth,

produce empty panicles or no ediblegrains, are incapable o supportingtheir own weight, and eventuallytopple over and die.

Te symptoms are the eects ogibberellic acid, a plant growthhormone, produced by the ungusduring its sexual reproductive stage.

UPLB plant pathologist ChristianJoseph R. Cumagun ound thatthere is very high genetic diversityin the numerous isolates oG.

ujikuroi he collected in Nueva

Ecija and Laguna provinces. Tisgenetic variation, according to Dr.Cumagun, opens up new problemsor rice breeders developing varietiesresistant to bakanae.

Dr. Cumagun noted that, althoughthe disease is a lesser threat thantungro, lea blight, and lea blast,its incidence is rising in some areaso the Philippines because o the

popular use o high-yielding butsusceptible rice varieties.

In survey made by the PhilippineRice Research Institute in 2006,46% o armer-respondents inIlocos Norte, 39% in Agusan, and54% Nueva Ecija use PSBRc82a

variety susceptible to bakanae.

Bakanae (ba-ka-na-eh) was rstidentied in 1898 by Shotaro Hori

in Japan. Te disease is now oundin Asia, Arica, and North America.(Kennedy Seraca and Florante A.Cruz)

BIOTECH-produced microbial rennet

promises to boost local cheese industry

Good news to our local dairy industry! UPLBs National Institute o Molecular

Biology and Biotechnology (BIOECH) is rening its microbial rennet technologyto make it more ecient and cheaper to use or cheese production.

Rennet is a cocktail o enzymes ound inside the abomasum (ourth stomach) ocows. It contains chymosin, an enzyme used to coagulate milk in cheese production.

Biotechnologist Dr. Susana Mercado reported that using coconut paring meal orculturingRhizopus chinensisa ungus which can be ermented to produce anenzyme similar to chymosinmay be used as substitute or the more expensive

wheat bran.

In cheese production, the use o rennet rom unweaned calves is preerred because

it contains high amounts o chymosin. However, slaughtering young cows just toextract rennet is not economically easible in the Philippines.

Tus, dairy producers with capital use imported rennet concentrate while small-scalelocal dairy producers make use o rennet coming rom slaughtered adult cows whichhave low chymosin and high pepsin content. So instead o producing quality cheeserom milk, local dairy businesses end up with products with undesirable properties.

Te use o BIOECHs microbial rennet is about 50% cheaper than the use oanimal rennet. Its perormance is also comparable to that o imported microbialrennet.

Dr. Mercados promising microbial rennet technology will go a long way inaddressing problems in the local production o cheese, a scientic nd benecial inthe development o the dairy industry in the country. (John Benedict Ricarte and

Florante A. Cruz)

WHITE SOFT CHEESE or kesong puti, will greatly benet from the improved microbial rennet

technology being developed by Dr. Mercado. Kesong puti is produced by several cooperatives in

Laguna and other provinces with small dairy industries.

PHOTO: FACRUZ



NEWS

RICE, THE FILIPINOS STAPLE, has become a social

commodity because of the global economic crisis.

Research and development efforts are pursued to

ensure that rice remains sufcient in the country.

addressing Vitamin A deciency,a leading micronutrient deciency

worldwide.

BBR rice, on the other hand, is

developed against lea blight causedbyXanthomonas oryzae. Accordingo IRRI, the disease can reduce Asias

annual rice production by 60%. BBRrice could thus help increase rice yields.

According to Dr. Yorobes study, thelaboratory/screenhouse evaluations,conned eld trials, multi-locationrials, and eventual commercialization

o Golden rice and BBR rice, inparticular, require a large capital

nvestment.

Dr. Yorobes study revealed that theregulatory process or BBR rice hadalready cost more than US$ 61,000since testing began in 1998. GoldenRices had already cost US$ 12,000since 2004. He said that the higher

price to pay or stricter regulationsincluded not only the actual costo testing but also the oregonebenets due to the delay in the

commercialization o the two ricevar et es.

Dr. Yorobe also observed that or everyyear o delay in commercialization, the

Philippine biosafety

regulaons cost too

much says UPLB

study

Te Philippines biosaety regulation

procedures are not only costly,but take too long. Tese are thendings o a concluded study at theUniversity o the Philippines LosBaos.

Te UPLB study, led by Dr. Jose M.Yorobe, Jr., ound that the cost oests as part o the current biosaety

regulation o biotechnologyproducts in the country, particularlyrice, is rather high. Dr. Yorobe

is a member o the aculty ohe Department o AgriculturalEconomics o UPLB.

Golden rice and bacterial blightresistant (BBR) rice are currentlybeing tested in the Philippinesbeore their approval orcommercialization. Te NationalCommittee on Biosaety o thePhilippines (NCBP) regulates theests o these rice varieties.

Golden rice contains high levelso Vitamin A, giving the grainsa yellowish or golden color, andis the hope o many countries in

country lost money rom regulationexpenses instead o beneting rom

hese technologies. It would takeabout three years or more or theBBR rice and Golden rice to bereleased commercially.

A 2002 study by the Universityo Bonn in Germany ound thatGolden Rice could provide asmuch as US$ 127M yearly to thePhilippine economy in terms oreduced mortality and disabilityrom vitamin A deciency. Dr.

Yorobe, or his part, estimated thatBBR Rice could provide, as muchas P1.5B, as oset to the damagecaused by bacterial blight in thePhilippines.

Dr. Yorobe recommended in hisstudy that the NCBP should takea second look at the biosaetyregulatory process, citing thatsome regulatory procedures maybe redundant while others may

be done at a much lower cost.Dr. Yorobe said that cost-cuttingshould be made, o course, withoutcompromising biosaety. (KennedySeraca and Florante A. Cruz



PHOTOS: commons.wikimedia.org

Each barangay, town or city in thePhilippines has its own story to tellabout its waste disposal problems.

While some o them lack or havenone to guarantee good waste disposalmanagement, the town o Los Baos inLaguna has one to vouch or a cleaneruture with the promising results o aresearch project currently done by theUniversity o the Philippines Los Baos(UPLB).

Dr. Virginia Cuevas o the Institute oBiological Sciences-College o Arts andSciences and her co-researchers haverecently identiedXylaria mutantsthat can be potentially developed intoa product capable o degrading plasticbags ound in dumpsites.

Xylaria is a ungus that grows on deadwood, utilizing the latters components

such cellulose, hemicellulose and ligninas ood.

In 2001, Dr. Cuevas showed evidenceoXylaria colonizing polyethylene(PE) plastic strips. Most plastic bags,including garbage bags, are now made oPE.

Te UPLB researchers have been busyhelping the towns waste processing

program by studying ungi that degradeplastic and compost biodegradablematerials.

In an experiment at the Los Baos EcoWaste Center, Dr. Cuevas and her teamound out that white mutant strains o

Xylaria were most eective in degradingplastic wastes. Te experiment evaluatedwild and mutant strains oXylaria ortheir capability in decomposing organicmatter and plastic materials.

Te project also tested the capability

o mixed cultures oXylaria andTrichoderma or rapid composting

o the towns wastes that includedplastics. Trichoderma, also a ungus,is a proven compost activator. Dr.Cuevas, in act, has already developeda rapid composting technology usingTrichoderma.

According to the projects results,composting using the mixed culturestook only 30-35 days. Afer 35 days, thecompost was ready or use.

Ripe compost produced by the projectdid not harbor harmulE. coli andSalmonella and did not contain heavymetals such as copper, arsenic, cadmiumand mercury.A eld trial using the compost orBabys Breath (Aster) production is nowongoing. Field trials will also be done onrice, corn and other vegetables.

(John Benedict Ricarte and Florante A.Cruz)

Plascs, non-biodegradable before, not anymore

XYLARIA is a genus of fungi commonly found growing on dead wood. Two of the common species of the genus areXylaria hypoxylon(left) andXylaria

polymorpha (right). Being ascomycetous,Xylaria secrete powerful digestive enzymes which break down organic substances into smaller molecules.

TRICHODERMA, a genus of mycoparasitic fungi present in soil, has been developed as biological control agent against several pathogens of plants. Some

species of Trichoderma have also been used to produce enzymes. Left photo shows Trichoderma in colony, right shows spore-bearing Trichoderma.


RESEARCH UPDATES



RESEARCH UPDATES

esearchers to complete bacteria-based system

or treang hazardous wastewater

Biotechnologists at the University

o the Philippines Baos(UPLB are hard at work putting thenal touches on the prototype o a

wastewater treatment system that usesbacteria.

A heightened awareness o thecondition o its rivers has led localgovernment units and concernedagencies in the province o Bulacano tap the National Institute o

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology(BIOECH o UPLB in setting upbioremediation solutions, which areless costly and more environment-riendly than conventional chemicalrea men s.

Dr. Lorele C. rinidad, researcher atBIOECH, and leader o the teamdeveloping the bioremediation system,reported that the prototype they have

developed can remove and at the sameime recover heavy metals rom waterdischarged during processing o goldand leather tanning.

Gold jewelry-making is a popularhousehold-based livelihood in the

province o Bulacan, but most jewelry-makers here use crude equipment andinecient processing techniques.

Silver, a valuable metal, can berecovered rom the chemical solutionsused in gold-smelting. Te recovery

process, however, results in copper-laden wastewater that is usuallydumped into Bulacans river system.

When Dr. rinidads team examinedindustrial wastewater rom varioussites o the river system, samples wereound to contain 5,000-10,000 ppm

o copper. Te limit allowed by theDepartment o Environment andNatural Resources (DENR) is only 1.3

ppm.

Also a common means o livelihood inBulacan, leather tanning operations usethe chemical called Chromium III inthe treatment o raw animal hide.

According to Dr. rinidad, leather

tanning use up so much ChromiumIII that hal as much o the appliedchemical ultimately ends up in the river.

With unding assistance rom theDepartment o Science and echnology(DOS) and its Philippine Councilor Industry and Energy Researchand Development (PCIERD), Dr.rinidads team identied 12 isolateso bacteria, collected rom the various

sites in the provinces o Marinduqueand Bulacan, ound with very highcapability in reducing sulates and

producing hydrogen sulde gas.

Te hydrogen sulde gas is then usedby the prototype bioremediationsystem to precipitate copper andchromium rom wastewater. Tebioremediation system prototype

was built by the DOSs Industrial

echnology Development InstituteIDI) or Dr. rinidads project.

Results o optimization studiesdone on the prototype have shown

reat potential or upscaling to aworking unit or installation in actualoperat on s tes.

r. rinidad and her team oresearchers are now designing a

bench-scale metal recovery system,o cost around P300,000, orcompletion by the end o 2009.Florante A. Cruz)

COPPER (above): Long-term exposure to copper can cause health problems such as headaches,vomiting and diarrhea. Intense copper poisoning may lead to liver and kidney damage, or even death.

CHROMIUM III (left) and CHROMIUM VI (right): Some chromium compounds are toxic to plants and

animals. People working wtih chromium may develop varous skin illnesses such as sores and rashes.




RESEARCH UPDATES

UPLB study IDs

squash variees for

food processing

Food technologists at the University othe Philippines Los Baos (UPLB) haveidentied local squash varieties that maybe used or ood processing.

Squash is a nutritious and commerciallyimportant vegetable planted in manyregions in the Philippines. PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo is pushingor large-production o nutritious andaordable vegetable-based ood items.

Unlike in countries such as the USA,squash varieties bred specically or

processing are unavailable in thePhilippines.

Local manuacturers merely use varietiesalready available in the market. With

vegetable processing being intensivelypromoted by the government, squashhas now a huge potential or processedood, e.g., noodles, soup, baby ood,

packed snacks and bread.

Dr. Linda B. Mabesa and Mr. Wilson. an, researchers at the Food ScienceCluster, College o Agriculture, UPLBevaluated the qualities o 35 squash

varieties rom all over the country inorder to determine possible indices osquash quality or processing.

Tey reported that physico-chemicalanalyses and sensory evaluation osamples rom the 35 squash varieties

were made. From the samples, squashour and noodles, rozen squash slicesand squash puree were also prepared andevaluated.

Te researchers identied propertiessuch as color, texture, cohesiveness, andmost especially, sweetness and avor, asimportant determinants o acceptabilityor processing.

None o the varieties evaluated had allthe desired traits and qualities sought

or processing. Te researchers, however,identied ve varieties that can be usedin developing squash-based products.

Suprema 1 and 2, hybrid varietiesreleased by the East-West SeedCompany, can be used or rozen squashslices or ready-to-cook vegetable

packages.

Te San Marcelino variety romZambales was ound suitable or making

puree which can be used as ingredient inveggie drinks. Tis and another variety

called inuning rom Pampanga canalso be made into our. Te variety Acc206-1 rom the National Plant GeneticResources Laboratory in UPLB scoredhighest in total soluble solids present.

Te study made by Dr. Mabesa and Mr.an was part o a project unded by theDepartment o Agriculture-Bureau oAgricultural Research (DA-BAR). Te

projects aims were to collect squashgermplasm and develop varieties or theood processing industry. (Florante A.Cruz)

PANCIT CANTON, made from squash our, is now available in supermarkets and big groceries. Natu-

rally fortied with Vitamin A, products made from squash have distinctive taste which enlivens the

erstwhile common merienda and even main courses.

PHOTO: FACRUZ



I

n a recent study by pesticidetoxicologists at the University o thePhilippines Los Baos (UPLB), the

injection o neonicotenoid pesticidessuch as thiametoxam, imidachlopridand clothianidin in coconut trunks wasound sae and eective in controllinghe coconut lea beetle (Brontispaonggisima).

Brontispa is a serious pest o coconutin the Philippines, having attackedmore than 1.6 million coconut treesnationwide. wo years ago, 26 provinces

were quarantined due to inestationo save the coconut industrya vital

component o the export economy.

Because o the emergency situationhen, the Philippine Coconut AuthorityPCA) initially recommended the

injection o pesticide into the trunks ococonut trees in areas with severe and

widespread inestation. However, thesaid chemicals were not yet registered or

se in the country.

Tus, Dr. Leonila M. Varca and Mr.Lorenzo E. Fabro o UPLBs College oAgriculture-Crop Science Cluster, incooperation with the PCA in Quezon

province, determined whether toxicsubstances were present in ood productsderived rom coconuts given trunkinjections o pesticide.

According to the groups study, thepesticides, when administered correctly,was eective against the larva and adulto the coconut lea beetle. Tere was aneed though to reapply the pesticidesafer 30 days in order to protect thecoconut longer, thus raising concerns on

possible toxicity o coconut products.

Te researchers results showed that thecoconut water and coconut milk derivedrom trees 60 days afer injection did nothave any pesticide residue, and thus sae

RESEARCH UPDATES

Pescide use in coconut against leaf beetle is safePHOTO: Dorsal view ofBrontispa longgisma, Cameron Brumley, padil.gov.au

BRONTISPA LONGGISIMA, commonly known as the coconut leaf beetle, can cause signicant damage

to coconut plantations. Photo shows a specimen measuring about 10mm in length.

to consume. Processing the coconutinto ordinary and virgin coconutoil, meanwhile, reduced pesticideconcentration by as much as 100%.

Te project, unded by the PhilippineCouncil or Agriculture, Forestryand Natural Resources Researchand Development (PCARRD), alsonoted that the said pesticides haveno eect on the common earwig(Chelisoches morio)the naturalenemy o the coconut lea beetle.(Rosario G. Gabatin and Florante A.Cruz

COCONUT, a main produce of the Philippines,

contributes signicantly to the export economy.

PHOTO: commons.wikipedia.org


11/20Volume 1 Number 2May - October 2009

Increased yield, as a consequenceo reduced bacterial wilt inection

highlighted the results obtainedby researchers who studied grafingechniques in eggplant production.

Project leader, Dr. Nenita L. Opinao the Crop Science Cluster o theCollege o Agriculture, University ohe Philippines Los Baos (UPLB ,

indicated that incidence o bactetialwilt in eggplant is reduced whenhigh-yielding, susceptible commercial

varieties o eggplant were grafed withrootstocks resistant to bacterial wilt.

She added, however, that the degree oresistance showed by grafed plants wasdependent on the level o resistance ohe rootstocks.

Bacterial wilt, caused byRalstoniasolanacearum, limits eggplantproduction in the tropics. In a recent

survey done by Dr. Opina, bacterial wiltincidence ranged rom 15-30% and 95%in resistant cultivars and susceptiblehigh-yielding commercial varieties oeggplant, respectively.

Tus the project entitled Inuenceo host resistance and grafing on theincidence o bacterial wilt in eggplant,unded by the Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhilRice), was conducted in

armers elds with natural occurrenceo bacterial wilt. Te locations were inarms in Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, andBatangas and nurseries o UPLB andPhilRice.

Te high-yielding commercial varietiesincluded in the research were Casino901 and Bulakea Long Purple (BLP),

while armers variety Nueva Ecija GreenNEG) and Abar were used as scion.

Bacterial wilt resistant varieties used asrootstocks were Eg 203, Eg 195, S 69and moderately resistant cultivars 89-002 and A 300.

Findings revealed that susceptibleCasino 901 varieties have signicantlylower bacterial wilt inection whengrafed to rootstocks Eg 203 and 89-002.

On the other hand, Abar variety whengrafed to Eg 203 ailed to reducebacterial wilt inection in UPLB nurserybut not in PhilRice nursery where

the inection reduction was oundsignicant.

Meanwhile, commercial variety BLPshowed signicant inection reduction

RESEARCH UPDATES

ra ing technique reduces incidence o bacterial wilt

in eggplant, researchers noted

when grafed with Eg 203 in PhilRicenursery but not signicant in UPLBnursery, but results were signicant

when BLP was grafed to 89-002 in bothnurser es.

In armers elds, highly susceptibleNEG when grafed to Eg-203, 89-002,A 300, Eg 195 and S69 gave signicant

decrease in bacterial wilt inection by 46-100% in the provinces o Nueva Ecija,Pangasinan and Batangas, resulting toincrease in eggplant yield. (Rosario G.

abatin

BACKGROUND PHOTO: commons.wikipedia.org, INSET PHOTOS: Courtesy of NLOPINA

EGGPLANT can be grafted to rootstocks which

have higher resistance to bacterial wilt infection.

Mestisa

Eg 203

Casino



RESEARCH UPDATES

atangas

angroves help

ght against

lobal warmingBesides being coastline protectors,mangrove orests are one o the most

promising carbon sequesters, having thehighest carbon net productivity amongall ecosystems.

By capturing carbon dioxide and storingit in its biomass, mangrove species are

able to reduce the amount o excesscarbon in the air, thereby lessening

lobal warming.

Forest researchers Dixon . Gevaa,r. Florencia B. Pulhin and Pro.

Nelson M. Pampolina o the UPLBCollege Forestry and Natural

Resources (CFNR) recently assessedthe capability o mangrove orests tosequester atmospheric carbon dioxide,a greenhouse gas which contributes asmuch as 26% to the greenhouse eect.

In an article entitled Carbon StockAssessment o a Mangrove Ecosystemin San Juan, Batangas published in the

Journal o Environmental Science andManagement ( JESAM , the UPLB

researchers mentioned two mangrovesystems in San Juan, Batangas: inBarangays Potcol and Catmon, where100 ha are planted to mangroves.

In these sites, the Bakawan (Rhizophorasp. , abigi (Xylocarpus granatum , andBungalon (Avicennia marina) are the

most dominant mangrove species.

According to the research teams report,San Juans mangrove orests can storeabout 13,000 tons o carbonalready ahuge quantity absorbed and not trappedin the atmosphere.

San Juans mangrove orests serve asvery good carbon sinks, thus the local

overnment unit should continue to

preserve and protect the orests.Te researchers estimated that ione-third o San Juans coastal areais converted to mangrove orests, thecarbon that may be mitigated can reachp to 25,652 tons. (Schenley Anne

A. Belmonte, Rosario G. Gabatin andFlorante A. Cruz

earch foriofuels

onnues at

PLB

RA 9367 or the Biouels Act o 2007mandates the blending o at least 2%biodiesel and 5% bioethanol by volume

o diesel and gasoline, respectively. Willhe country be prepared to meet its

biouel requirement in 2014 o about37M liters o bioethanol a year?

o help the country achieve such goal,he University o the Philippines Los

Baos (UPLB) has been in continuoussearch or sources o alternative uel toaddress the countrys energy needs.

According to Pro. Rex B. Demaelis,proessor at the College o Engineeringand Agro-Industrial echnology,

various units in the university are now

collaborating in the area o biouelsresearch. Pro. Demaelis heads theUPLB Alternative Energy RDEProgram.

Pro. Demaelis shared that the Collegeo Agricultures Crop Science Clusteris currently developing sweet sorghumgermplasm it has acquired rom Indiaor bioethanol. Meanwhile, BIOECHhas already begun studying the possibleuse o wood, grass and agricultural by-

products as sources o bioethanol.Te College o Foresty and NaturalResources, on the other hand, is doingtissue culture studies onJatropha

Since the potential economicadvantages which can be derived rom

Jatropha maybe higher than using othersources, the government has givenspecial interest in developing biodieselromJatropha.

According to Pro. Demaelis, biodieselproduction usingJatropha is avoredover coconut because the latter hashigher market demand as ood, healthand beauty care products.

However, he raised the importantanceor more studies on the eect omassive cultivation o atropha onhe environment, asking scientists to

urther study the toxicity issues hauntingatropha production.

Pro. Demaelis stressed that newsources o green uel should now beconsidered. He said that the macroalgaeSargassum can be used to producebioethanol while orest species such asbani and bitaog have the potential asbiodiesel eedstocks. He also added thathe microalgae Chlorella vulgaris can be

developed into a biodiesel eedstock.Mae Ann F. Bulang, Rosario G. Gabatin

and Florante A. Cruz)

PHOTO:FACRUZ

PHOTO:commons.wikipedia.org



With theproblems onproductionand genetic deteriorationacing the Philippine mallard duckindustry, a biotechnology projectunded by the Bureau o AgriculturalResearch (BAR) o the Department o

Agriculture (DA) is being cooked up torevive this once protable business.

Mallard duck production in thePhilippines is a big industry dominatedby small- and medium- scale commercial

producers. It used to be the majorsource o income o people living alonghe shorelines o Laguna Lake which

straddles between the provinces oLaguna and Rizal.

eclining aquatic resources such assnails and shes and the pollutiono Laguna Lake, however, have beenculprits or the decline in the productionand genetic diversity o ducks in theareas.

o cope with limited ood sources,producers have resorted to herdingducks in rice paddies and mixing

ncoventional but cheaper eedingredients. Tis has resulted to lowquality products such as duck meat andeggs.

o help the duckindustry recover, thery Sciences Cluster

(ADSC o the College o Agriculturein University o the Philippines LosBaos (UPLB in collaboration with theNational Swine and Poultry Research

and Development Center (NSPRDCbased in iaong, Quezon proposed theproject, Applied Animal Biotechnologyor the Improvement o PhilippineMallard Duck.

Proponents o this biotech initiativeare Dr. Renato S. Vega, Dr. Angel L.Lambio, and Dr. Severino S. Capitan.

Te main goal o this undertaking is to

improve the Philippine mallard ducksgenetic resource and determine theeect o eed and water environmentalresidues on duck-egg production.

Tis project is ocused on three areas ostudy, namely:

morphological and molecular1.characterization o mallard ducks,age-related changes in plasma.cortisol, estradiol, and vitellogenin

o mallard ducks, andeect o organochlorine and3.cadmium levels in eeds on thereproductive perormance omallard ducks.

Biotech project to revive

duck industry underway

uck sampling, DNA/physicalcharacterization, water and eed residueanalysis, and blood vitellogenin assaysystem are among the activities to beaccomplished in this project.

Expected outputs include DNA

ngerprints o various ducks, a breedingprogram, and a protocol to measureendocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs .

EDCs are exogenous substances thatalter the unction o the endocrinesystem and result to adverse eects inan intact organism. Tese substancesstimulate the ducks liver to release

vitellogenin into the blood, which canhen be measured to serve as indicator

o environmental pollution in anecosystem.

Some o the common EDCs arenatural and synthetic hormones,

plant constituents, organochlorines,compounds used in plastics andconsumer products, and other industrialby-products and pollutants.

Te three-year project is now on its pre-

implementation stage. his article is originally published in the

Department of Agriculture-

Bureau of Agricultural Research Website

(http://www.bar.gov.ph)

RESEARCH UPDATES

BY DON CARLO P. LEJANO

PHOTOS: FACRUZ



Training on managing

water resources

conducted for

Cambantoc watershed

stakeholdersFarmers and members of the

community residing in the Cambantoc

atershed of the Mt. Makiling Forest

eserve (MFR) participated in a

raining seminar conducted by the

UPLB College of Forestry and Natural

esources last June 3-4 in Sta. Cruz,

aguna.

According to Dr. Portia Lapitan, whospearheads the project on Community-

ased watershed management approach

in improving livelihood opportunities

in Cambantoc, the participants were

aught soil and water conservation

echnologies during the training.

he participants were taught how to

ake rainwater harvesting structures.

he structures will enable farmers to

collect and store run-off water forirrigation purposes during the dry

eriods, Dr. Lapitan shared.

he project has been mobilizing the

community and building its capability to

conserve the resources of Cambantoc

as part of its objectives to improve the

ell-being of people in the watershed.

he forest reserve, Dr. Lapitan said, is

in danger because of over-exploitationand natural calamities. Thus, it is

important for people to preserve the

environment.

An important component of the

environment, the Cambantoc watershed

comprises 35% of the total land area

of the MFR and drains its waters into

he Laguna Lake. Aside from being

a main source of water of several

communities around Mt. Makiling, theatershed provides a signifcant source

of livelihood for upland dwellers.

irafor E. Castor and Florante Cruz)

UPLB technologies to air in NBN Channel 4s

Mag-Agri Tayo

Los Baos televiewers are in or a treat rom August to October as UPLBresearchers and their eats will be eatured in Mag-Agri ayo, an agriculture-oriented program produced by the FARM Foundation and aired every Saturday,9-10 AM in NBN Channel 4.

Vice-Chancellor or Research and Extension Dr. Enrico P. Supangco stated thatUPLB has received assistance rom the Department o Agriculture-Bureau oAgricultural Research (DA-BAR through its Applied Communication Divisiono disseminate and promote UPLBs technologies via national television throughhe said program.

Tree UPLB projects, namely SNAP hydroponics, ubi powder and an extensionprogram in Mt. Makilings Dampalit watershed have already been eatured inMag-Agri ayo last July 11 and 18, Dr. Supangco shared.

UPLBs project on SNAP hydroponics is coordinated and monitored by DA-BARs Program Development Unit while the ubi powder and Dampalit projectsare under the National echnology Commercialization Program (NCP), whichis one o the agship programs o the bureau.

We are glad to be o assistance in UPLBs ongoing thrusts to promote itsel and

its achievements, especially now that it is UPLBs Centennial Year, DA-BARsExecutive Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar said.

Tree more UPLB projects had already been documented by Mag-Agri ayo andA-BAR through the OVCREs Research Utilization and Dissemination Section.

Tese are: 1) ornamental sh production at the UPLB Limnological ResearchStation, 2) Biocon Trichoderma technology o the Institute o Biological Sciences-College o Arts and Sciences, and the 3 breeding, production and use o high

yield and protein (YAP) corn o the Crop Science Cluster-College o Agriculture.Seven other eatures are currently being lined up or shooting.

So, watch out every Saturday mornings, sit tight and turn on your V sets to Mag-Agri ayo and see some o UPLBs products and services and the people workinghard behind them. (Florante A. Cruz

EXTENSION UPDATES

MAG-AGRI TAYO Executive Producer Patrick Daffon (left) captures the interview of CSC-CAs Dr.

Artemio Salazar (right), principal breeder of the new High Yield and Protein (YAP) corn or IPB Var 6.

PHOTO: EAGRON/ DA-BAR



EXTENSION UPDATES

New farm and

renewable energy

machinery introduced

Multi-crop pneumatic seeder withertilizer applicator, corn milling system,cylindrical soil sterilizing chamber,

windmill or irrigation, multi-cropwasher,Jatropha oil expeller,Jatrophapost-production machinery, Rice hull/corn cob urnace.

Tese are just some o the newtechnologies developed by UPLB

engineers to mechanize agriculturalproduction and urther the developmento the biouel industry, presented duringa symposium held by the Agricultural

SESAM monitors

environmental risks

around Mt. Makiling,

starts educang

communies

Te School o Environmental Scienceand Management (SESAM) has takena proactive role in communicatingenvironmental risks which aboundin Mt. Makilinga dormant volcano

where landslides killed a number opeople when yphoon Milenyo struckLos Baos in 2006.

Tis was disclosed by SESAM DeanDr. Ma. Victoria O. Espaldon during aseminar on disaster mitigation last June26 or ocials o 10 barangays located atthe oothills o Mt. Makiling.

According to Dean Espaldon, therewas a need to design an eective riskcommunication plan which can be easilyunderstood by those residing in Mt.Makilings slopes.

Tus, SESAM has been in the process oplanning a protocol which would timelymonitor and disseminate environmentalrisks, as well as a quick response

Mechanization Development Program(AMDP) last June 29, 2009.

We conducted the symposium to

expose our technologies to armers,students, and even our colleagues in theuniversity, stated Engr. Mario Bueno othe AMDP. Aside rom this, the activityalso served as venue or stakeholdersto assess the potential o the varioustechnologies.

Based at UPLBs College o Engineeringand Agro-industrial echnology, AMDPhas developed and promoted technology

packages or various commodities suchas corn, vegetables, coconut, and cassava.Te program has also come up withtechnologies or arm power, irrigationand waste processing.

During the symposium, more than adozen researchers presented the resultso their studies aimed at mechanizingcorn and high value commercial crops

production. Machinery or renewableenergy production, particularly or

Jatropha, were also discussed.

Engr. Ronel Pangan, also o the AMDP,shared that interested armers canavail o high-quality and ecientarm machinery rom our accreditedmanuacturers, who get the designs andspecications rom the program.

Tis way, he concluded, we hope tohasten the delivery o the technologiesto armers. (Florante A. Cruz, withreports fom Leila Denisse E. Padilla and

Maria Janelle L. Cantong)

mechanism which will be implementedduring disaster situations.

Aside rom using surveys to developan inormation database, SESAM hasbeen using global positioning systems,

participatory geographic inormationsystems, and participatory 3D modellingto combine the peoples knowledgeand experiences to come up with reliemodels o Mt. Makiling which indicatethe location o disaster-prone areas.

Te relie models, according to Engr.Marisa J. Sobremisana o SESAM, asiderom storing data, will be an eective

visual medium to inorm people about

the status o Mt. Makiling as haven ordwellers.

Aside rom visiting and assessing thedisaster-prone communities in the

mountain, the project has already beenable to acilitate the installation o arain gauge in Bagong Silang in Mt.Makiling under the READY projectbeing implemented by the PhilippineAtmospheric, Geophysical and

Astronomical Services Administration(PAG-ASA) o the Department oScience and echnology (DOS).

SESAMs initiatives on disastermitigation are being assisted byDOS-PAG-ASA, the UPLB Oceo Vice-Chancellor or CommunityAairs, Los Baos Science CommunityFoundation, Inc., National DisasterCoordinating Council, Mines and

Geosciences Bureau, and the variouslocal government units o townsand barangays around Mt. Makiling.(Jennier D. De Pasion, Rosario G.Gabatin and Florante A. Cruz)

MT. MAKILING, viewed from the top of the UPLB Carillon, is being threatened by climate change and

irresponsible use of people who eke out their living on and near its slopes.

PHOTO: FACRUZ



FEATURED RESEARCH

Farmers and businessmen in thePhilippines have scrambled

planting the Physic Nutatropha curcas , a biouel crop

seen having big potential returns oncehe mandatory use o biodiesel is ully

implemented in the country.

However, some o those who have goneull steam ahead establishing arms arenow plagued with problems, one o

which is seed storage.

In a report by UPLB crop scientistsLucille Elna Parreo-de Guzman andAnnalisa L. Aquino o the Crop ScienceCluster College o Agriculture,optimum storage should be given to

Jatropha seeds because o the countrys

high temperature and relative humidity.

Otherwise, seeds kept in normal roomconditions will easily rot because o itshigh oil content.

Although inormation exists on howwell atropha thrives in marginal areas,almost none is known on its seedsstorage behavior under Philippineconditions. Tus, the researchersconducted a study to characterize theseed oJatropha and determine itsstorage behavior.

Based on experiments report, storagetemperature did not aect thegermination o atropha seeds. However,germination was inuenced by moisturecontent and storage time.

Tus, those planning to venture intoJatropha production should take noteproper storage o good qualityJatrophaseeds result to better germination ideal

or planting.

De Guzman and Aquino recommendedthat atropha seeds should be dried to4-5% moisture content and sealed in

StoreJatropha seeds properly to wield

high germinaonUPLB study bares

moisture-proo containers, to ensurelittle reduction in percent germination.

For those who cannot invest in specialcontainers such as aluminum oil packs,hey can just store theJatropha seeds

in simple containers such as bottles orbiscuit tin cans with the covers sealed

with wax or candle, and at ambientemperature.

Moreover, seeds should be dried rsto 6-8% and stored immediately afer

harvest.

Te researchers observed in theirexperiment that under normal roomconditions, seeds packed inside netbags or sacks had a 20% decrease in

ermination rate i storage was delayed.

Te delay would also reduce germinationurther by 25% afer 6 months os orage.

NewJatropha seeds OldJatropha seeds GerminatedJatropha seeds

Jatropha seed with exposed kernel Jatropha seed embryo Normal, abnormalJatropha seedlings; dead seeds

PHOTOS: Courtesy of LEPDGUZMAN

BY FLORANTE A. CRUZ



In the Old estament, Noah builtan ark, unknowing i the rains

would ever come, he entrusted hisate with God.

Limnology experts at the University othe Philippines Los Baos have turnedthemselves into little Noahs, building

arks to provide a haven to our nativeand endemic reshwater shes.

Te collected shes, according toDr. Vachel Gay Paller o the UPLBLimnological Research Station (UPLBLRS), will be part o the Fish ArkPhilippinesa project aimed to studyand conserve these erstwhile untappedresources.

Although the Philippines is one o themost biologically diverse countries inthe world, little is known about its manynatural resources.

Almost absent is the inormation on thestatus o the Philippines small endemicreshwater shes, even though there areat least 20 species known inhabiting thesouthern portion o Luzon Island.

Dr. Pablo Ocampo, head o the UPLB

LRS and at the helm o the Fish ArkPhilippines project, recently reportedthat small reshwater shes in three

watersheds areas in the Makiling ForestReserve and Lake adlac in Los Baos,Laguna have been documented andcollected in 2008.

Fishes have also been collected romthe Pansipit River and Ambon-ambonFalls in Batangas province. Aside rom

collecting the sh specimens, the studygroup, led by Dr. Paller, was able tostudy the habitats o the sh sampled.

Freshwater shes get

to ride in sh ark

Dr. Paller has already collected 26dierent sh species, 14 o which are

very small (50-100mm in length). woo the sh species are native, whileanother two are endemic species withgood potential or captive breeding.

Project Fish Ark Philippines is undedby the Philippine Council or Aquaticand Marine Research and Developmento the Department o Science andechnology (DOS-PCAMRD).

It also aims to survey reshwater shesound in the vicinity o Mt. Banahaw(Quezon), aal Volcano (Batangas), Mt.Isarog, Iriga-Masaraga Mountain Rangeand Bulusan Volcano (Bicol Region).

Dr. Paller and Dr. Ocampo arespecialists in paritology (sh parasites)and zoology, respectively, at UPLB.

BY FLORANTE A. CRUZ

FEATURED RDE PROGRAM

PHOTO: EAGRON/ DA-BAR



FEATURED TECHNOLOGY

When an agriculturalechnician is out inhe eld, without a

library or laboratory insight, how does one answer the armersquestion: What type o soil does myarm have?

Now, technicians need not have to get

and bring soil samples to their ocesor laboratory or soil identication.Agitated armers who wait or days tohear the news are now appeased.

With communication technology, soilidentication can now be made anytimeand anywhere, just by using mobile

phones.

According to Dr. Rodrigo B. Badayos,

director o the Agricultural SystemsCluster o the College o Agriculture,his team have recently converted a

picture guidebook, available in the pastin printed and compact-disc orm, into a

program which can be viewed by using acellphone.

Te guidebook is a product o Dr.Badayos completed project onSimplication o the Philippine Soil

Series Identication or Rice and CornCultivars unded by the PhilippineRice Research Institute (PhilRice).

r. Badayos said that the guidebookwas programmed or cellphones byPro. Moises A. Dorado o the Collegeo Engineering and Agro-industrialechnology (CEA .

Te rst version o the cellphone-based

uidebook, covering topics on how toidentiy soil types, has already beenreleased and introduced to prospectivebeneciaries in Isabela mid last year.

Guide for soil series idencaon

comes to cellphones Y EMERSON JOHN LOZANTA,OSARIO G. GABATIN AND FLORANTE A.CRUZ

According to Dr. Badayos, the users wereexcited to bring their soil identicationguide-equipped cellphone to the eld.

Although some expressed their

preerence or bigger pictures o the soilseries, the technology was adjudged bythe Isabela beneciaries as convenient,handy and most important o all, usable.

Te second version o the cellphone-based guidebook is now beingdeveloped.

According to Pro. Dorado, they are

now adding more inormation, such assoil descriptions, into the program. Heshared that they are now doing severalests to ensure the programs eciency.

CELLULAR PHONES and other gadgets are set to become tools for agricultural development and not

only as modes of communication, as people in the countryside are taken to mobile connectivity.

PHOTO: FACRUZ



PHOTO NEWS

High Yield and Protein (YAP) corn, an

IPB corn variety named in honor of the

Agriculture Secretary is presented last July

10 to the Hon. Arthur C. Yap (3rd from left).

YAP corn or IPB Var 6 is a white open-

pollinated corn variety containing highlysine and tryptophan and bred principally

by Dr. Artemio M. Salazar of the Crop

Science Cluster (CSC) of the College of

Agriculture (CA).

In photo op during the presentation are

(from left to right): Dr. Artemio Salazar;

CSC Director Dr. Jose E. Hernandez, Sec.

Arthur C. Yap, UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey I.

Velasco, CA Dean Dr. Domingo E. Angeles

and National Academy of Science and

Technology President Dr. Emil Q. Javier.

Dr. Pio A. Javier, Research Associate Professor at the Crop Protection Cluster discusses

some points on the physical control of pests of crops during the Refresher Course on Pest

and Disease Diagnosis and Management in Rice, Corn, Vegetables and Mango held last June

1, 2009 at the National Crop Protection Center complex. More than two dozen participants,

mostly, agricultural technicians and researchers, attended the refresher course.

PhilHybrid Inc., a lessor at the UPLB

Science and Technology Park, plans

to expand its greenhouse operations.

PhilHybrid produces tissue-culture

makapuno seedlings and other products.

UPLBs Ubi powder now sports a box packaging and trademark FST Foods thanks to the

funding assistance of the National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP) of the

Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).

High school students get to extract their

own DNAs during the Los Baos Science

Festival last July 22 - 24 at the Baker Hall.

BY FLORANTE A. CRUZ


20/20

PHOTO NEWS

Visitors ock the booth of UPLB and UPLB Foundation,

Inc. during the 5th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology

Commercialization Forum and Exhibit at the SM MegaTrade

Hall 3 from August 27-30. UPLB displayed and sold its various

products: biofertilizers, honey-based products, dairy milk and

white soft cheese, SNAP hydroponics, YAP corn, ubi powder,

and various publications. The UPLBFI, meanwhile, sold UPLBmemorabilia items such as books and posters.

Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco (2nd from left) talks with

SEARCA Director Gil L. Saguiguit (leftmost) and DA-BAR

Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar (right) during the exhibit opening

on August 27.

Prof. Edmund G. Centeno of the College of Development Communication

discusses information chunking during the Seminar-Workshop on Research

Project Implementation and Management held by the OVCRE last August 24.

Vice-Chancellor Enrico P. Supangco (center) leads participants from various

colleges and units of the university during the photosession ending the seminar-

workshop on Research Project Implementation and Management.

Florante A. Cruzmanaging editor/ layout

Florante A. CruzRosario G. Gabatin

riters/ editors

contributorsBlesilda M. Calub Kennedy Seraca

Schenley Anne A. Belmonte Don Carlo P. LejanoMiraor E. Castor Jennifer D. De Pasion

Leila Denisse E. Padilla Maria Janelle L. CantongEmerson John Lozanta John Benedict Ricarte

Mae Ann F. Bulang

production/ circulationEvelyn E. Bite Renato E. Apolinario, Jr.

Alex C. Genil

advisers

The RDEDigest is published semi-annually by the Ofce of the Vice-Chancellor for Researchan xtens on , n vers ty o t e pp nes os a os . t s re ease every pr an

October each year, in time for the UPLB Commencement Exercises and UPLB Loyalty Day, respectively.

t erw se state , art c es appear ng n every ssue are se ecte rom t ose w c ave a rea y een

published online at the UPLB RDE News Website [http://rdenews.uplb.edu.ph .

ontr ut ons re ate to researc an extens on rom acu ty an sta are we come. ease sen

manuscripts and digital photographs via email: [email protected]. Comments on the published content

can a so e sent t roug t e same ema a ress. equests or use o content or pu cat on s ou e

addressed to the Editors.

For inquiries, please contact us at: Research Utilization and Dissemination Section

u ng, an uran cor. anzones oa s, , o ege, aguna pp nes

Tel. No. (63) 49 536-2354; Email: [email protected].

The RDEDigestfficial Research, Development and Extension Newsletterthe University of the Philippines Los Baos

BY FLORANTE A. CRUZ

Documents

UPLBRDEDigest_Vol1No2