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Official Community Newspaper of UP Los Baos Volume 9, No. 01
January-March 07
January-March 2007
offer great options for addressing food security. She cited cruciferous vegetables, oats, tomato, soybean, citrus and tea as food items that can give the body a wide range of nutrients/phytochemicals. The guest speaker, Dr. Liwayway Engle, presented research results on indigenous vegetables such as malunggay and see LB community on p. 5..
Dr. Thomas Allen, former director of the World BankPhilippines and Dr. Dely Gapasin, WB consultant and former PCARRD executive director
Dr. Nelson Pampolina was a research assistant at the BIOTECH when he responded to a calling to be a teacher. He took an instructor position at the Department of Forest Biological Sciences at the CFNR in 1989 and has not looked back since then. The wisdom in his choice was recently affirmed when he received the UPLB 2007 Outstanding Teacher Award
England, Armidale in New South Wales, Australia. Her research work has brought her to various universities and research institutions here and abroad. She has shown that, to get a slice of the cake, one just needs to be focused on ones goals. Pag mahirap, tiyaga lang, Demi says. Everyday, see to it that you have one small thing that you accomplish, because it will just accumulate through the years. (DIS Cruz)
Dr. Pio A. Javier describes himself as a farmer who uses the scientific method, a researcher who refuses to keep to his ivory tower, a teacher who continuously learns, and an extensionist who applies and tests technologies first in his farm. He is a champion! The University recognized this when it accorded to Dr. Pio A. Javier the 2007 Outstanding Extensionist Award. Pios dedication to his work shows that despite his success, he is in touch
* Featured
Everyday
People are personnel and research/extension teams who/that were recognized for having rendered outstanding and exemplary service to the University and the people.
January-March 07
Principles and Applications in Forestry and Natural Resources. Dr. Rebugio further said that the team has set the groundwork for the development of the Mt. Makiling Biodiversity Decision Support System which includes a GIS database of Mt. Makiling. According to him, this will enable the University to undertake approaches to better manage such an excellent forest. The team is composed of 14 people who gave their unstinting support to the project despite a meager budget that did not allow them to hire full-time research staff and pay regular honoraria for all the scientists and researchers. The members of the team are: Dr. Leni D. Camacho, a resource economist, who also serves as the assistant coordinator; Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, watershed management specialist; Dr. Wilfrido M. Carandang, silviculturist; Dr. Enrique L. Tolentino, Jr., ecophysiologist; Dr.
Loretto U. dela Cruz, soil scientist; Dr. Roberto G. Visco, agroforestry specialist; Dr. Rodel Lasco, agroforestry and environmental scientist; Dr. Florencia D.Pulhin, environmental scientist; Dr. Edwino S. Fernando, plant taxonomist; Dr. Nataniel C. Bantayan, geographic information systems specialist; Dr. Emmanuel R.G. Abraham, forest management specialist; Dr. Margaret M. Calderon, resource economist; and Dr. Josefina T. Dizon, community development specialist. Ms. Rosario B. Bantayan and Ms. Maria Luz P. Cereno provide communication support and administrative support, respectively. When talking about selflessness and true service, the AKECOP-Philippines is its epitome. This and their accomplishments in sustainable forest management have raised the bar for the Outstanding Research Team Award even higher. (AP Dominguita)
the VPAD, SAPREM takes off from the philosophy that human development, through continuing adult education and values enhancement, will empower and improve peoples lives. Mang Donato Aquino, a honeydew melon farmer is among those who have developed respect for the volunteers. He credits the program for helping him earn an income of at least P40,000/1,000
sqm/season. Mr. Benjamin Villanueva, a farmer from Victoria, Laguna says, Kung hindi dahil sa pagtitiyaga nila, hindi kami uunlad. Nakakatuwang isipin na ang mga propesyunal ng UPLB ay may pagpapahalaga sa mga tulad naming magsasaka. More than the award, it is the idea of helping people improve their lives that gives the VPAD team honor and pride. (JAA Oruga)
The UPLB Horizon is issued quarterly and features news, feature articles, research and extension updates, literary pieces, announcements on scholarships, fellowships, trainings, grants, seminars/ lectures/workshop, call for awards, cultural presentations and events or information of general interest to the UPLB community. Please send your contributions to OPR, e-mail: opaa_uplb@yahoo.com and fax # (049) 536-3604.
Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Ma. Stella C. Tirol Issue Editors: Ma. Leah J. Baroa-Cruz, Josephine M. Bo Writers: Ma. Leah J. Baroa-Cruz, Eisen Bernard V. Bernardo, Josephine M. Bo, Aladdin P. Dominguita, Jo Ann A. Oruga Contributors Perrose L. Comendador, Dianne Ifchelle S. Cruz, Contributors: Imelda V. Garcia, Florante A. Cruz, Imelda M. Gesmundo, Apolinario R. Lantican, Ricarda B. Villar Layout: Circulation Circulation: Mariss D. Borromeo, Abel B. Palivino Artist Artist: Layout Ray Angelo P. Nasino Nicetas C. Araguas Photographers Nick C. Araguas, Florante A. Cruz Photographers:
Research Updates
January-March 07
Tissue culture of lanzones will fast track sourcing of the fruit peel for antimicrobial compound production.
Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics to treat infections amoxicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin, penicillin and methicillin, to name a few. But sometimes, one may have already taken strong antibiotics, and still have no relief in sight. Chances are, such a patient has already acquired antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic. Bacteria can develop this ability through several mechanisms: by neutralizing the antibiotic before it takes effect, by producing enzymes that destroy the active drugs, or by developing an altered structural target so that the drug cannot affect its function. One major resistant pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium found on human skin. It causes surgical wound infections, boils, scalded skin syndrome, conjunctivitis and mastitis. It is also the common
pathogen in skin, soft-tissue, catheterrelated, bone, joint, pulmonary and central nervous system infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was first detected in Britain in 1961 and is now quite common in hospitals. In the Philippines, 5% MRSA prevalence was observed on laboratory results of hospitalized patients who have bloodstream infection, pneumonia, wound infection and urinary tract infection. The figure may seem small, but MRSA is already regarded as one of the most common causes of deadly hospital infections in the country. The escalating cases of antibiotic resistance and the rise of new kinds of infections in the country have given the scientific and medical community enough reasons to worry. According to Ms. Teofila O. Zulaybar, BIOTECH researcher, the only effective treatment for MRSA at present is vancomycin. However, recent studies have shown that MRSA is also becoming resistant to vancomycin. This is a major health concern that BIOTECH researchers are trying to working on. At its Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery Program, researchers are isolating and identifying antibiotic compounds from local sources that can combat the problem of accumulated multiple drug resistance. Initial outcomes have shown promising results. A study led by Dr. Eufrocinio C. Marfori that investigates the use of
BioCon-treated rice (right) have longer roots and produce more tillers than the untreated rice plant (left).
BioCon-treated corn plants grow much faster than the untreated plant.
Carrots treated with BioCon produce bigger and heavier roots (right photo) compared to untreated plants which produce smaller roots left photo).
January-March 07
Carpena
Paterno
Raros
(The following is derived from Dr. Leonila A. CorpuzRaros: Torchbearer for Philippine Acarology by professor emeritus Dr. Clare R. Baltazar, from the October 2005 issue of The Philippine Entomologist.)
Raymundo
Dr. Erlinda S. Paterno served UPLB for a good 45 years, almost half of which with administrative duties alongside her teaching and research. She was college secretary of the Graduate School for a decade, department chair of soil science at the CA, university registrar, and vice chancellor for instruction. As registrar, Dr. Paterno got the computerization of registration in UPLB rolling, an initiative that has brought the system a long way from the overnight queues that students of a decade ago had to go through for a seat in class. She taught undergraduate and graduate courses in soil science and microbiology, always insisting on imparting not merely knowledge but important values and good ethics, and was constantly rated excellent by her students. As fruits of her research work on the use of soil microorganisms to improve the growth and development of crops, Dr. Paterno has two major UPLB technologies to her name: NitroPlus and Biogroe. NitroPlus is a microbial inoculant for legumes that provides the nitrogen needs of soybean, mungbean, peanut, cowpea, and pole sitao and thus eliminates the need for a chemical nitrogen fertilizer. NitroPlus was the choice of two major food companies in the country for their soybean production. It has been registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) and is now commercially produced at BIOTECH. Biogroe is a bio-fertilizer containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that has helped increase the yield of selected vegetables, promote flowering of orchids and enhance the rooting of stem cuttings of ornamentals, cassava and black pepper. Tests have also shown that BioGroe enhances the growth of Jatropha curcas. Since BioGroe has presented itself as a viable alternative to imported synthetic plant growth regulators, efficacy tests are now being conducted for FPA registration. Dr. Paterno finished BS Agriculture at UPLB (then UPCA), MS (bacteriology) at University of Wisconsin-Madison and PhD (soil science-soil microbiology) at UPLB. She retired a Professor 12, the highest faculty rank in the UP System.
Dr. Leonila A. Corpuz-Raros is a systematist by training and is best known by her works on the Subclass Acari (mites and ticks), especially of beneficial forms that are important as natural enemies of pests and as decomposers. She had discovered, named and described 348 new species and erected 19 new genera of Philippine mites. She also identified and recorded the occurrence in the Philippines of 285 species originally described elsewhere. Altogether, her discoveries and records make up more than half of the 1,210 species presently known in the country. Dr. Corpuz-Raros finished BS Agriculture (entomology) and MS (entomology) at UPLB and her PhD (entomology) at the University of Minnesota in the US. She developed an interest in mites as a masteral student but had to shelve this to work on aphids, the subject of her doctoral dissertation, through which she discovered 13 new species in North America. Upon returning home, she participated in an ecological project on aphid vectors of a disease of potato in Benguet and discovered the occurrence of male and sexual aphids in the Philippines an outstanding discovery since it debunked textbook myths that male aphids do not exist in the tropics and that aphids reproduce there only by parthenogenesis. She resumed her work on mites after her doctoral studies and built up a huge collection of mites from various islands of the Philippines. The collection, unparalleled in extent by any group of organisms in Philippine museums, is now housed at the UPLB Museum of Natural History. Her body of work is contained in several international and ISI journals and had called attention to the existence of local expertise by which the world community can gauge scientific developments in acarology not only in the Philippines but in Southeast Asia where there are presently very few active acarologists. Dr. Corpuz-Raros retired a Professor 12, the highest faculty rank in the UP System.
Dr. Leoncio C. Raymundo served the University for nearly five decades, studying and teaching food biochemistry and processing. He is most associated with the development of the spray-drying technique to produce powders of tropical fruits, vegetables and rootcrops. The NRCP recognized Dr. Raymundos aptitude for research with the Achievement Award in 2001 for his work in the area of carotenoid chemistry and biochemistry. He was among the first recipients of the International Publication Award from the UP System when he was awarded such in 2000. His research work has been documented in 30 articles in international and local refereed journals. But the important information did not end up just there; he also lectured and gave trainings across the country, to as far as Jolo, Sultan Kudarat and Ilocos Norte efforts that earned him the UPLB Outstanding Extension Personnel Award in 1999. Dr. Raymundo was also instrumental in the development of a food science graduate program and in the institution of four graduate courses on food and postharvest biochemistry and tropical food processing. His students evaluation of him as a teacher attests to his mastery of subject matter and his ability to reach out to them. His serious biochemistry students well admire his no-nonsense manner of teaching. He had twice been nominated to teaching awards. Dr. Raymundo finished BS Agriculture at UPLB (then UPCA) and MS Horticulture and PhD (biological sciences-food and resource chemistry) at University of Rhode Island in the US, where he also taught lipid chemistry and assisted graduate students in carotenoid research. He retired a Professor 12, the highest faculty rank in the UP System.
(MLJBaroa-Cruz)
Philippines in R&D development after it decentralized its agriculture R&D and devolved it to extension and through consistent support from the government. Indonesia also focused on matching technological solutions to what farmers really need. Dr. Gapasin suggested that the University should have a strong community-based system so that farmers or direct users can easily access basic information. Dr. Bernardo, former CA dean and IRRI deputy director-general, said that it is high time that UPLB is reengineered inasmuch as substantial development that happened in UPLB was the one implemented through the 1st 5YDP. The facilities that were put in place during the 1st 5YDP was, according to him, only for 3,000 students while the University now has over 11,000 students. He also advised that UPLB should not only focus on research but also do impact assessment. Dr. Sacay and Dr. Contado said that the university should reengineer its extension system and make it proactive. Dr. Sacay believes that UPLB should develop a game plan and set priorities. They collectively advised UPLB to enhance its human resources for extension, and to focus on areas where it can provide leadership and establish linkages. (PL Comendador)
LB community
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CA), various fruit wines (from Dr. Erlinda Dizon of FSC-CA), soya milk products (from Dr. and Mrs. Antonio Laurena of CSC-CA), and carabao milk products (from the Philippine Carabao Center-UPLB). (FA Cruz)
CA AgriPark:
January-March 07
Already a magnet for tourists for its natural and educational attractions, UPLB now gives people one more reason why they should put the campus in their places-to-visit list: the CA AgriPark. Launched on Dec. 14, 2006 and patterned after theme parks, the CA Agripark is a showcase of agriculture products, technologies, services and publications. It is located at the Technology Development Center along the road to the IPB-BIOTECHNCPC complex. With Mts. Makiling, Banahaw and San Cristobal as its backdrop, the CA AgriPark is a relaxing and picturesque location for visitors to nurture their curiousity and interest in agriculture and its possibilities. One-stop Shop
The UPLB-CA has always been synonymous with agricultural technologies, advanced training in agriculture and related fields, informative publications, and experimental/demonstration farms. However, information and experts on these products and services are stationed in various buildings that are located far apart, making it difficult for farmers, students, researchers and other clients to get what they need. The AgriPark idea was introduced by CA Dean Candida B. Adalla who got fund support through a P5 million institutional grant from the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, an agency under the Department of Agriculture. The CA AgriPark is composed of the Techno Demo, Theme Garden and Recreation Areas, each of which is a place of interest to everyone. Techno Demo Techno Demo is an on-farm technology demonstration area where many of CAs technologies are actually applied. The on-farm demonstration helps farmers decide on the right technology to fit their needs and resources. The Techno Demo includes a Transgenic Garden, a Biofuel Garden, a Grafted Eggplant and Tomato Garden, and an indigenous vegetable garden. It also features the Training and Technology Center, a venue for education and instruction on various fields of applied agriculture and for kapihan-type discussions on current issues and latest trends in agriculture. The Center also sells publications, agricultural test kits, vegetable and ornamental plant seeds, and other items. Theme Gardens
The Herba Hortikultura is a paradise for plant lovers, culinary aficionados and those who just want to seek solitude. It has a Garden Trail for the Blind, a Chefs Garden Delight, a Tsaang Gubat maze, an Herb Knot Garden, an Aromatic Archway and a Meditation Garden. The Garden Trail for the Blind is a pathway bordered by aromatic plants. One may take the path with eyes closed, guided only by the scent of the aromatic plants. The Chefs Garden Delight is a circular garden displaying an assortment of herbs and spices such as thorny coriander, holy basil, Mexican tarragon, fennel, lemon grass and more. The Tsaang Gubat Maze consists of meticulously trained tsaang gubat that forms interconnected circles. The Herb Knot Garden is composed of four separate quarter circles, each one bordering a knot-like arrangement of the same plant. It is a delight for the eyes especially when the plants small yellow blooms are in profusion and contrast with the rich green color of the leaves. The Aromatic Archway, a pathway to the Meditation Garden, is marked by seven arches on which aromatic flowering plants creep and cling. At the Meditation Garden, one can sit on the bamboo benches, feel the carressing breeze while taking in the view of the mountains and the fields. Recreation Areas The AgriPark has two recreation areas, namely, the Resto Park and the Livestock Royale. The Resto Park is the first area one sees upon entering the park. It features 12 native cottages circling a fishpond. These cottages are perfect venues for luncheon meetings or intimate get-togethers. Two of the cottages can accommodate 30-40 people while the others are for smaller groups. One may choose to catch tilapia at P100 per kilo and grill it right at the place. The Livestock Royale showcases commercial and native livestock and poultry breeds adapted to the Filipino small-hold farming system. Here, children can saunter around on a carabao-shaped walk, get a chance to pet and play with rabbits, chickens or goats. The place also aims to inform guests about plants and grass species in the feedlot garden that are useful in rearing these animals. It also features a goat house, a pig paddock, organic free-ranged chicken production, rabbit battery cages, multi-terrace forage demo plots and mini silos.
Producers Market The Theme Gardens showcase technologies that have agribusiness potential and highlight organic farming, biodiversity promotion and conservation/ appreciation of the use of indigenous plants and animals. It features the following: Insekta Filipiniana, Herba Hortikultura, Edible Landscape Garden and Tekno Organiko. Insekta Filipiniana is an enclosed haven for butterflies and beneficial insect species. Herba Hortikultura is a garden of an assortment of culinary herbs, spices, essences and medicinal plants. The Edible Landscape Garden is a showcase for container and trellis gardening, and demonstrates how vegetables and other edible plants are used in landscaping. Tekno Organiko showcases agricultural waste management, quality compost production, preparation/utilization of bio-fertilizer and biopesticides, cropping system strategies, as well as flowers that are important in warding off pests. The AgriPark also features the Producers Market at the left side of the path to the park. The market serves as a venue for displaying and selling products harvested from the park itself and by farmer-partners of the CAs extension projects. Products sold at the Producers Market include fruits, vegetables and planting materials. A two-hectare area will be apportioned for retired professors, student organizations and people in nearby barangays to rent and grow vegetables organically. Under this set-up, they are assured of a captive market at the Producers Market. A visit to the CA AgriPark is, thus, one that students, farmers, local government officials, researchers, teachers, or just about anybody, must make soon. (RB Villar, AL Lantican and
IM Gesmundo)
(Interested parties may arrange a visit to the Agripark through Dr. Julie Garcia at celfone no 09215905121 or through Jo Ann Oruga at the Office of Public Relations, tel. nos. (049) 536-3604 0r 2928 or email opaa_uplb@yahoo.com.)