RDEDigest

RDEDigest
Official Research, Development and Extension Newsletter
of the University of the Philippines Los Baños
Vol. 1 No. 1
Nov 2008 - Apr 2009

Sea level rise to affect 10 to

20 M hectares of rice fields
– IRRI scientist amounts of which is
U p to 20 M hectares of rice areas
in Southeast Asia, the Philippines
included, will be flooded when to
sea levels rise due to climate change,
said Dr. Reiner Wassmann, a scientist
at the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) and world expert on
rice and climate change.
He issued that statement as a
challenge to about a hundred
students and employees from the
University of the Philippines Los
Baños (UPLB) that attended the
seminar Rice and Global Climate
Change last March 4 at the UPLB
Operations Room. The seminar
was organized by the UPLB
Interdisciplinary Program on Climate
Change.
Rice production and climate change
Every grain of rice coming out of the
field is now, according to scientific
findings, intrinsically connected to
how the planet’s climate is behaving.
In 1961, IRRI saw the effects of
temperature on rice plants through
experiments in a growth chamber.
The observation led to more studies
on how changes in climate conditions
affect rice.
Dr. Wassmann said that in the 1990s,
IRRI scientists studied methane
produced in flooded rice paddies.
Their findings showed that rice
production is responsible for 5-20%
of all the methane in the atmosphere.
Methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG),
accounts for about a fifth of all the
GHG in the atmosphere, increasing
believed to cause excessive
warming of the earth due
to the greenhouse effect.
Global warming is
the hottest topic that
has come out of the
scientific world. The Inter-
governmental Panel for
Climate Change set up by DR. REINER WASSMANN of IRRI issues a warning:
the World Meteorological Climate change will affect rice farming worldwide
Organization and United
Nations Environmental
Programme has released a statement fields is better since more methane
that said climate is indeed changing is released from fields that are
and needs everyone’s serious continuously flooded.
attention.
The RCCC is currently working on
Mitigate climate change due to rice developing a rice variety that is more
tolerant to high temperatures. It also
The adverse effects of climate aims to intensify rice production using
change could seriously threaten rice varieties that have proven resilience
production levels unless preventive to extreme events such as drought,
measures and production systems heat waves, floods, and salinity that
adjust. All rice-growing nations have may result from sea levels rise.
signed the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change, hence, mitigating The coordinator of the consortium,
methane emissions from rice has Dr. Wassmann focuses his research
been in these nation’s agenda in on adaptation of rice production to
recent years. changing climatic conditions and on
mitigating emissions from the rice
IRRI, for its part, established the Rice paddies. He has also done projects
and Climate Change Consortium on GHG from agriculture and natural
(RCCC) in 2007 to intensify research, ecosystems in the Brazilian Amazon
working with institutions all over and African Savannah.
the world, and help rice production
systems adapt to the changing climate Dr. Wassmann is in IRRI on
in the short- and long-term. secondment from Germany’s Institute
of Meteorology and Climate Change
Rice production should become and is the lead author of the revised
more efficient in terms of water use, National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
fertilizer application, and harvesting. Guidelines: Agriculture, Forestry and
Dr. Wassmann cited, for example, that other Land Use (2004-06) of the IPCC.
alternate wetting and drying of rice [Thad Lawas and Florante Cruz]

INSIDE Sugar as biofuel ... 2

Machinery standards ... 3
Setting-up research priorities ... 3
this Drip irrigation ... 5
Policy for non-timber products ... 7
ISSUE: Assessment of goat parasite control ... 8
Rice black bug infests Laguna ... 9
Drugs from periwinkle plant ... 11
Automating tomato and egg grading ... 12
Techno-entrepreneurship ... 13
UPLB Mini Corn Mill ... 13
White corn as rice ... 14
Technology business incubation ... 15
Vol 1 No 1
November 2008 - April 2009 1
 Sugar as

www.imsc.res.in
biofuel in the
Philippines
may not be
as “sweet” as
promised
A number of experts worldwide
believe that ethanol
production from sugarcane will
USE OF SUGARCANE for biofuel is still
a subject of food vs fuel debates.

reap a number of economic and The big expansion of the sugar

General implications
environmental benefits. It may industry, however, will be the only
look good at the outset, but are reason for the general expansion of
“Devoting sugarcane as biofuel
the rewards from using sugarcane the agriculture, fishery and forestry
feedstock would probably raise
for biofuel true to form? sector. Rodriguez explained that
the average domestic prices of
agricultural, fishery and forest the expanding sugar industry will
In an article published in the affect industries such as corn,
products, which in turn will make
Philippine Agricultural Scientist, livestock and poultry, probably due
production costs higher and
UPLB economist Prof. U-Primo E. to the allocation of resources to
therefore increase prices of food
Rodriguez and Dr. Liborio Cabanilla, sugar planting.
products in the market,” Prof.
dean of the College of Economics
Rodriguez stated.
and Management, noted that Simulation results also indicate
using sugarcane as source of that economic activities such as
They estimated that while value
energy may have adverse effects. sugar milling, petroleum refining
added and employment will grow
Both examined the potential and mining will contract.
in the agriculture, fishery and
implications of using sugarcane as
forestry sectors, it will be the
biofuel feedstock, particularly on More analysis needed
opposite for the food processing
the country’s agriculture and food
sector.
security. While the research results showed
All in all, this would affect people’s that sugar for biofuel will have
Sugar is an important commodity adverse effects on the economy,
spending behavior. Consumption
in the Philippines, a major input in Prof. Rodriguez recommended
is projected to fall by 0.18%.
food processing industries. In 2007, the pursuit of more in-depth
Prof. Rodriguez also added that
the Department of Agriculture studies to get a better informed
agricultural, fishery, forest and
reported that by 2011 about 8.5 assessment. He further added that
food products exports will decline.
M metric tons of sugarcane will economists should also focus on
be needed to fulfill the mandated the other dimensions of economic
Specific impacts to the sugar
blending of gasoline with 10% development and environmental
industry
ethanol. This represents around impact.
37% of the total sugarcane
According to the research’s
produced in the country in 2005. “Although our CGE model have
simulation, there are significant
impacts which would greatly affect provided sound economic
Using a Computable General frameworks for analysis, a more
the sugar industry. First would be
Equilibrium (CGE) model, the rigorous economic evaluation
the 18.5% increase of sugar prices
researchers found that there of the food vs. fuel issue would
due to the stimulating demand
would be several implications definitely need other studies using
for sugarcane. This would induce
to the agricultural and food complementary analytical and
significant increases in the value
processing sectors if sugar is to be quantitative tools,” Prof. Rodriguez
added and employment in the
used for biofuel production. concluded. [Florante Cruz]
sugar industry.

University of the Philippines Los Baños

2 Research, Development and Extension Digest
 AMTEC develops standards for
multicrop processing machines
T he Agricultural Machinery
Testing and Evaluation Center
(AMTEC) of the College of
Engineering and Agro-Industrial
Technology (CEAT) had developed
eight Philippine Agricultural
Engineering Standards (PAES)
for four multicrop processing
machines for raw agricultural
crops: ginger, pandan, lemon grass
and arrowroot. Machines intended
for commercialization can be
evaluated using these standards,
and manufacturers can refer to
them in improving the design and
fabrication of the machines.
This component is part of the
project entitled “Multicrop
Processing Machines for
Commercialization” that got
W hy was support to decision
making in setting up research
priorities seemed unimportant
in the past? They said that there
was limited or lack of available
systematic and organized data;
and if ever data or studies were
available, they typically dealt on
limited areas, quite fragmented,
often dated and with inadequate
analysis. Collecting, organizing
and analyzing data related to
the benefits derived from any
particular use could be a problem
because of the high-cost of doing
the activity. In our regime of
“science under scarcity,” decision
support systems are critical in
efficiently allocating resources
in the public sector investments
especially in research.
It is in this context that the project
entitled “Agricultural Research
Prioritization at the Regional Level:
Case Study in Cagayan Valley,
Philippines” was undertaken so
that research managers may be
adequately advised on how to
allocate resources in the region
support from the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST)
thru its Technology Innovation for
Commercialization (TECHNICOM)
Program. Aimed at facilitating the
promotion and commercialization
of the multicrop processing
equipment such as multicrop
washer-peeler, juice extractor,
crystallizer and micromill, the
project encouraged the growth
of small and medium enterprises
in the area of agri-based business
concerns.
Initiated by the Bicol University
College of Agriculture and
Forestry through its Department
of Agricultural Engineering, the
project was proposed when
mechanization technologies for
To managers: Need help in
setting research priorities?
across major research programs
while considering the mandate
of the offices they are connected
to. With the aid of a decision
support method using the criterion
efficiency, the decision making
method was developed and
applied to the actual setting in
Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya
and Quirino provinces. As a
result, the project came out with
software for the application of the
Geographic Information System
(GIS) that can be used to identify
research domains; including
the application of software
for economic analysis to guide
research prioritization.
Led by Dr. Agnes C. Rola, professor
at the Institute of Strategic
Planning and Policy Studies (ISPPS)
of the College of Public Affairs,
the UPLB researchers described
the three activities they did
November 2008 - April 2009
ginger processing were brought
about as a result of its project
named “Zero Waste Ginger
Processing Technology.” The
component 2 of the DOST-funded
project entitled “Development of
Quality Standards and Performance
Testing of Multicrop Processing
Machines” was implemented
by CEAT-UPLB researchers that
started mid-September of 2007
and was completed in July 2008.
On the other hand, Component
1 entitled “Feasibility Study on
Commercialization of Ginger Tea
and other Processed Products from
Ginger, Pandan, Lemon Grass and
Arrowroot” was implemented by
the Economic Department of the
Bicol University. [Darwin Aranguren]
while setting research priorities
in Cagayan Valley: 1) spatial
targeting of research domain, 2)
translating the farmer constraints
into research themes and, 3)
prioritizing research options. The
researchers’ outputs were based
on the results of their extensive
surveys among farmers and inputs
of PhilRice experts and managers
in the region on their research
concerns by commodity.
The commodities under study
included rice, corn, mangoes,
bananas, vegetables and citrus.
Other project activities included
the characterization of biophysical
and socioeconomic environments
using a GIS, and the identification
of farmers’ constraints through
a farmer survey, key informant
discussions with scientists,
extensionists and through a
Continued on next page
Vol 1 No 1
3

ANNOUNCEMENT
Everyone is invited to use and
promote the following university
websites. These sites are very
appropriate and helpful to media
practitioners, students, researchers
and extension workers, local
government officials and employees.
UPLB Research, Development
and Extension (RDE) News
Service Website
http://rdenews.uplb.edu.ph
The UPLB RDE News Service is
an online service offering news and
resources to the general public.
This website features news and
resources focused on all areas
of agriculture, biotechnology, the
arts and sciences, development
communication, engineering and
agro-industrial technology, economics
and management, forestry and natural
resources, human ecology, public affairs,
veterinary medicine, and environmental
science and management.
UPLB Journals Online Website
http://journals.uplb.edu.ph
The UPLB Journals Online is a web-
based service exclusively offered
to journals/ technical bulletins
published by various units of UPLB
or by organizations affiliated with the
university. With this site, you can access
the text or PDF of a journal article’s
abstract.
The site currently hosts 8 journals,
namely: The UPLB Journal,
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Research Bulletin, Asia Life Sciences,
Journal of Environmental Science
and Management, The Philippine
Agricultural Scientist, Philippine Journal
of Biotechnology, Philippine Journal of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences, and
the Philippine Journal of Veterinary
Medicine.
Office of the Vice-Chancellor for
Research and Extension (OVCRE)
Website
http://ovcre.uplb.edu.ph
The OVCRE website is a resource
center for researchers, extensionists
and professional staff of UPLB. Users of
this portal will find useful and updated
information on UPLB’s research,
development and extension activities, its
resources, and outputs.
University of the Philippines Los Baños
4 Research, Development and Extension Digest
RESEARCH PRIORITIES ...
Continued from previous page
review of literature. Prioritizing
research options was done by the
application of benefit cost analysis.
The UPLB experts focused
their research on the Cagayan
Valley region and identified
five agricultural production
environments: undulating
lowlands, broadplains, hillylands,
highlands and coastal areas.
The research themes mentioned
by the farmers include soil-related,
pest-related, cultural practices and
post-harvest practices.
Results of the project showed that
farmers and scientists were one
in their understanding that the
production-related constraints
topped the research priorities
needing to be addressed,
especially for the rice and corn
farmers. The farmers were found
more concerned about the state of
their natural resources such as the
soil, as a production constraint.
Technology per se seemed not
their priority at the time of the
research study though the project
results supported the contention
that a need to invest in the
training programs for agricultural
technicians in the modern
technologies was inevitable.
The researchers recommended
that program on soil amelioration
especially in the broadplains be put
in place as this effort was believed
to effect significant social benefit
to the farmers in the region. The
advice of competent technicians in
the field would somehow loosen
up the farmers’ burden related
to cultural practices and in the
scientific way of managing the soils
and pests problems believed to
reap subsequent high benefits.
The project also showed that
addressing the constraints related
to cultural practices of the farmers
was perceived to give much more
benefits than the other more
expensive technologies such as
the post-harvest facilities. Rice
farming in the broadplains was still
a profitable investment in terms
of soil related research. It was
also found that cultural practices
improvement will be profitable in
mango and banana farms.
Resource allocation analysis also
revealed that the complementary
human resources in the region
were not proportional to the
research needs. The number
of scientists doing soil and pest
related research in the region
was limited. The UPLB experts
suggested that the regional offices
be urged to work closely with
the farmers in managing their
agricultural base.
As surmised by the UPLB experts,
“Other regions in the country may
also have the need for an exercise
related to this. With the hardware
and software for GIS now readily
available, and the software for
economic analysis, the data about
to be sorted and mapped out will
be feasible for replication in other
regions of the country in the very
short term.”
The other members of Dr. Rola’s
team were Elvira E. Dumayas and
Myrryl R. Britanico, University
Researcher and University
Research Associate, respectively of
ISPPS, CPAF.
The technical team members
included Dr. Esteban C. Godilano,
Adjunct Professor at the ISPPS, Dr.
Tolentino B. Moya, now with UP
Diliman, Dr. Rodrigo B. Badayos of
the Agricultural Systems Cluster,
College of Agriculture (ASC-CA)
and Prof. Moises A. Dorado of the
College of Engineering and Agro-
Industrial Technology (CEAT).
The completion of the project
was made possible through
fund support from the Bureau
of Agricultural Research of the
Department of Agriculture (DA-
BAR) [Rosario Gabatin]
Background from commons.wikimedia.org
L etting faucets drip at home
is wasteful. What more if
you have more than a few
small faucets trickling water
simultaneously. But for farmers,
this is not at all wasteful. These
“small faucets” spread out over
a parcel of land planted with
vegetable crops would save a lot of
them time and labor in watering.
Drip irrigation, anyone?
Drip irrigation technology is
another option for farmers when
watering their high-value crops.
Drip irrigation, also known as
micro-irrigation, is simply a system
that brings and distributes water
via flexible plastic pipes by slowly
discharging it through ‘drippers’
near the plants. Areas where there
is very limited supply of water can
benefit from this irrigation method.
It can be even used in delivering
liquid fertilizer directly into the soil.
Irrigation done this way is
convenient and efficient, in the
long term. Drip irrigation is suitable
to a wide variety of crops, soil,
topography and climate, according
to Dr. Victor B. Ella, Professor at
the Land and Water Resources
Division, Institute of Agricultural
Engineering at UP Los Baños.
“It can be used even under limited
water supply condition and its
water use efficiency is relatively
high. The drip system only applies
what is needed to meet the
evapotranspiration requirement of
the crop , hence eliminating runoff
and percolation losses,” Dr. Ella
pointed out.
Applicable in upland areas
Vegetable farmers in areas where
irrigation service is absent and
used to wait for rains to water their
crops have something to thank for.
But does it work also in the upland
areas?
Upland crops can be irrigated
-- efficiently and cheaply
“One of the main uses of drip
irrigation is to conserve water in
hilly areas. In sloping areas, water
would just run off on top of the soil
when it is delivered,” Prof. Moises
A. Dorado, another expert in
Institute explained. “The idea is to
impound water fetched manually
or pumped and then release it
gradually. This saves limited water
from just drying up and not being
used by the plants,” he added.
Cheap setup
Although there are many types of
drip irrigation and most of them a
bit pricey for the common farmer,
there exists an IDE “easy drip”
kit that makes use of microtubes
and is relatively cheaper than the
conventional types. The said kit
costs around P 23,000 per hectare.
Conventional drip systems would
cost P50,000 to 135,000 per
hectare.
A typical 100 sqm IDE “easy drip”
system would require a 200-
liter tank positioned on top of a
platform sufficient to generate
an appreciable water-level height
called the “operating head”.
Water flows through a 16-mm
diameter polyethylene pipe and
filter and is then distributed to
10 lateral pipes made of thin-wall
lay-flat tubing. These pipes have
several microtubes with ends near
the plant’s base.
“All the farmer has to do is fill the
tank with water and open the
valve,” Dr. Ella explained. The water
would be automatically delivered
to the plants.
Aside from cheap initial
investment, its operating cost
is also low since unlike the
November 2008 - April 2009
conventional types, the IDE “easy
drip” kit does not require pumping
units to generate the necessary
operating pressure.
Install the system right
One problem farmers may face
when using drip irrigation in
upland areas is the uniformity
of water distribution. “Since the
farms in upland watershed areas
are rolling, the height of water
level in the tank relative to the
emitters, and the slope of the land
affect the distribution,” Dr. Ella
said. Thus, some of the drippers
would quickly release water than
the others. Thus, it is important to
set up the system right.
Research shows set up
requirements
To determine the operating head
at various slopes of the land, Dr.
Ella in his experiments set up
a 10 m x 10 m IDE “easy drip”
system. He measured and analyzed
the discharged water in varying
operating heads and sloping
conditions.
The results indicated that from
both hydraulic and practical
standpoints, an operating head
of 3m is recommended for mild
slopes, Dr. Ella reported. His
findings also showed that this
particular drip system does not
work well in areas with a slope of
greater than 30%. However, he said
this problem may be addressed
using pressure regulators.
Comparing crop yield: drip vs no
drip
Outright, using drip irrigation gives
remarkable results as compared to
Continued on next page
Vol 1 No 1
5
ACCORDING TO RESULTS, the IDE easy
drip system’s overhead should be at
least 3 m in height.
THE USE OF DRIP IRRIGATION has been introduced to
vegetable farmers in Lantapan, Bukidnon as part of
the Dr. Ella’s SANREM project funded by USAID.
Prof. Moises Dorado
named Assistant to
the Vice-Chancellor
for R and E
Prof. Moises A. Dorado is recently
appointed as Assistant to the Vice-
Chancellor for Research and Extension
by Vice-Chancellor Enrico P. Supangco
effective January 2009.
Prof. Dorado’s appointment was
prompted by new initiatives made by
the OVCRE to achieve its goal toward
efficient planning, implementation,
performance evaluation and
reporting of research and extension
activities in the university. According
to Dr. Supangco, “the assistance of
Prof. Dorado is very much needed
to carry out the plans in making
OVCRE services more efficient and
responsive.”
“His experience in managing
personnel and meticulous approach in
analyzing administrative procedures
are definitely a big boost to our
University of the Philippines Los Baños
6 Research, Development and Extension Digest
DRIP IRRIGATION ...
Continued from previous page
relying on rains: higher crop yield,
courtesy of Dr. Victor Ella
higher plant height and relatively
larger size of produce.
“In one of our field experiments,
a drip irrigated field produced
4.5 kg/sqm of cabbage, whereas
the field without the system only
produced 2.4 kg/sqm. We also
produced 6 kg/ sqm of Chinese
cabbage using drip method. The
‘without drip’ field produced only
about 3 kg/ sqm,” Dr. Ella added.
Research on drip irrigation
technology being conducted by
Dr. Ella is part of his USAID-funded
SANREM project on “Agroforestry
and Sustainable Vegetable
Production Systems in Southeast
Asian Watersheds” in collaboration
with partner scientists from North
Carolina A&T State University,
Virginia Tech, International
Development Enterprises among
others. [Florante Cruz]
Short courses
and other training
programs to be
offered by UPLB
This summer 2009, UPLB units will
conduct their yearly training programs.
To get a glimpse on what is in store,
visit the new website of the Office of
PROF. MOISES DORADO , Assistant the Vice-Chancellor for Research and
to the Vice-Chancellor for R and E Extension (OVCRE) at http://ovcre.
uplb.edu.ph.
office’s daily tasks and special
projects,” Dr. Supangco elaborated. Nearly a hundred programs are offered
to increase livelihood know-how,
Prof. Dorado, fondly called “Buboy” teaching and research capability, and
by colleagues is an Assistant Professor business or managerial competency.
in Agricultural Engineering at the
Institute of Agricultural Engineering, For those whose training needs do not
College of Engineering and Agro- fall on a summer, arrangements can
Industrial Technology (CEAT). He still be arranged. With proper request,
served as Associate Dean of the UPLB through its various units can
college from 2005 – 2008. offer basic and specialized training
courses at any given time or place the
A hydrology and geographic requesting party chooses.
information systems expert, he is
married to Prof. Adeliza Dorado, For training needs, interested parties
also an engineer based at CEAT, and may get in touch with the OVCRE by
blessed with 8-year-old Mikkel. emailing ovcre@uplb.edu.ph.
 Make policies for non-timber users
friendly, forest expert urges
S cientists should directly take
an active role in improving
government policies for the
sustainable use of high-value
products from the forest. Dr.
Ramon A. Razal, former dean of
the UPLB College of Forestry and
Natural Resource expressed this
view in his professorial lecture held
at the Drilon Hall of SEARCA at the
UPLB Campus last November 2008.
The forest expert revealed that
there is a very big promise in
store for stakeholders of the non-
timber forest products-based
“Green” products awaiting to be
mainstreamed
NTFPs have a share in the cash
economy, particularly in the trading
and processing sectors. Indigenous
peoples (IPs) and people’s
organizations (POs) usually depend
on these resources. They are the
ones primarily benefitting from the
increasing “fashionable” use of this
“environment-friendly” resource.
commons.wikimedia.org
Based on statistics gathered by
the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources in 1997,
livelihood opportunities out of
using NTFPs can be very viable.
“Making paper from abaca, baskets
from hinggiw and harvesting
kaong for food, although labor
intensive, still give a good return
on investment,” he illustrated.
Dr. Razal added that “enterprises
such as planting rattan, bamboo
and lemongrass, and beekeeping, if
successful, are very lucrative.”
Continued on next page

industry. “But there are problems

hindering the full development of
the industry, and these should be
solved by us,” he shared.

The promise of non-timber forest

products

According to Dr. Razal, non-timber

forest products (NTFPs) include
resources “gathered or harvested
from forestlands or related
ecosystems without the benefit of
intensive cultivation.” Rattan, nipa,
bamboo, vines, and anahaw are
examples of these products.

NTFPs are not just sources of

native furniture and handicrafts,
they are also consumed as food,
resins, medicine and cosmetics.
They are also used in construction
and transportation purposes, as
well as components of common
house appliances.

NIPA OR (NYPA FRUTICANS), a non-timber

forest product growing in South Asia
and Australia, has many uses: leaves for
roofing material and basketry, flowers’ sap
for alcoholic tuba and vinegar, fruits for
dessert.

The palm has a lot of sugar in its sap. It

was estimated that a hectare of planted
nipa can yield 15,000 to 20,000 liters of
ethanol fuel.
Vol 1 No 1
November 2008 - April 2009 7
NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS ...
Continued from previous page
There maybe a recent surge in
interest in these products in the
local and world market, but still
there are several gaps in policy that
greatly affect the value of NTFPs.
“Appropriate and specific policies
should be made in order to make
the industry more attractive and
productive,” he explained further.
Review the tax on NTFP use
Forest charge is collected from
users of products from the public
forest land to regulate the cutting
and transportation of timber in the
country. Those who gather forest
products for personal use are not
charged but they must first secure
permits. Forest charges on timber
and other forest products were
adjusted when Republic Act No.
7161 was enacted in 1991.
Forest charges collected from
NTFPs contributed only P6.4 M to
the overall revenue collection of
the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR)
in 2007 amounting P980 B. This
was far way low hence, very
insignificant compared to the
money from timber. “It is therefore
compelling to look at how we can
improve the sustainable use of
NTFPs” Dr. Razal proposed.
He further explained that “In my
recent study, I have seen that small
gatherers pay a sizeable amount in
getting permits with very difficult
requirements and entail a lot of
follow-up work. Related studies
have also shown that there is
corruption going on within this
system and that the tax being paid
by the NTFP users has not actually
gone to sustainability projects for
which the money was intended.”
Dr. Razal opined that if charges
on NTFPs are removed, the poor
players in the industry will be
benefitted and may make cost of
raw materials more reasonable.
According to him “with a more
simplified system, farmers and
organizations can dedicate more
time to forest protection and
development rather than going
to offices to follow-up papers to
secure permit.”
Bridge policy gaps through
research
Policy researchers and science can
help bridge the gaps by reviewing
and improving NTFP policies during
its formulation, evaluation and
assessment.
“A lot of the policies on the
use of NTFPs are somewhat
flawed. There isn’t even a policy
document right now that could
apply to all NTFPs. Some policies
are inadequate, inconsistent and
inefficient which make the whole
NTFP-permitting process costly
and unfair to stakeholders,” Razal
contended.
According to him, researchers
should bring themselves in the
policy-making process in the DENR.
“As a first step in meaningfully
participating in the process,
researchers should reflect on
whether their research initiatives
match the agenda set forth in the
Revised Forestry Master Plan of
2003.”
“Researchers should conduct more
activities related the inventory,
valuation, value chain analysis, and
efficient utilization and indigenous
knowledge systems of NTFPs. Aside
from that, we should look at the
properties of NTFPs grown in large
scale and also see how we can
sustainably harvest them in small
and large volumes,” he continued.
A need to overhaul the policy
environment
“NTFPs provide a lot of benefits,
but our enjoyment of these
benefits is threatened. Science is
needed to reform the industry. As
agents of change, we must provide
the benchmarks to assess the
policies’ effectiveness,” Dr. Razal
concluded. [Florante Cruz]

Controlled I n the Philippines and other South-East Asian nations, small ruminant
farming is seen to help uplift many poor farmers. In making this a viable
endoparasite industry, various institutions have joined hands to promote management
strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in goat kids because of
in goats means endoparasites.
The Australian Council for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
increased promoted multi-agency research and extension initiatives in sustainable
endoparasite control in the region. Due to the potential of the
productivity says technologies developed through ACIAR which are now being promoted
in the Philippines and the need to estimate the rate of return on the
UPLB assessment investment made by the various stakeholder organizations, ACIAR, DOST-
PCARRD and DA-BAR commissioned and funded an impact assessment
For many small ruminant of the these technologies. The University of the Philippines Los Baños
farmers, technologies that will (UPLB) led this study.
help alleviate their plight are
At UPLB, Dr. Nimfa D. Montes of the Department of Agribusiness
welcome. Management - College of Economics and Management who headed
Continued on next page

University of the Philippines Los Baños

8 Research, Development and Extension Digest
CONTROLLED ENDOPARASITES ...
Continued from previous page
the study, recently reported that
“the application of the technology
related to endoparasite control
resulted in significant reduction
in death of goat kids, from 70% to
5%”.
She further added, “We estimated
that, even after allowing housing,
labor and forage costs, the unit
cost of producing goat meat fell by
almost P 10.00 per kg liveweight.
“The team also estimated that
though the extension of the
technology only focused in Regions
I and VII in the country, the rate
of adoption of the technology will
reach 75% by 2015”, according to
Dr. Montes.
Based on the project report, the
package of research and extension
programs delivered to the goat
farmers led to some changes on
how goat farming is done in the
areas. Farmers have used improved
goat raising practices and used
upgraded goat breeds. This
resulted to increased demand and
supply for live goats, breeders, and
quality goat meat.
According to Prof. Normito Zapata,
Assistant Project Leader, “there
were significant changes in how
farmers look at goat raising and
how they interact with people in
order to learn more about these
packages of technologies.”
“Small goat raisers have increased
profits, and have increased their
household income as a whole.
They are now uplifting themselves
because of the better economic
and policy environment of goat
farming”, he concluded.
The UPLB project, assisted by Dr.
John Mullen of ACIAR and Marie
Alo of DOST PCARRD, estimated
that the P 270M investments
brought in by ACIAR and its various
partner-agencies were profitable
in terms of contributing to poverty
alleviation among livestock
smallholders in the Philippines.
[Florante Cruz]
Rice black bug infests Laguna,
Don’t panic! says UPLB
specialist
courtesy of Dr. Gil Magsino
I n October, 2008,
Calamba farmers in
Laguna province were
frantic when their
rice harvests flunked
by half. Most farmers
had but plowed under
their crops and planted
vegetables instead, all
because of the Rice
Black Bug (RBB) – a
ferocious pest of rice OCTOBER 30, 2008, rice black bug infestation completely
when uncontained destroys the rice field of Mr. Milencio Arcita at Brgy. Halang,
can wipe out farmers Calamba
rice plants. This pest
appeared in 2007 in Calamba damaging six barangay’s rice harvest.
Then on November 4, 2008, Calamba was put in a state of calamity because
of this pest. The Department of Agriculture’s Region IV office was alerted to
contain the pest and to recommend containment measures. Farmers and
members of the community, on the other hand, were literally shoveling
captured bugs into their sacks.
Early this year, the bug was found infesting rice farms in Bambang, Los
Baños, and now seen in Sto. Domingo and two other barangays in Bay,
Laguna.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), in the rescue, has this to
say: “Laguna farmers need not panic of the rice black bug.” UPLB’s National
Crop Protection Center – Crop Protection Cluster had this issue brought up
during a seminar held at the SEARCA Drilon Hall at the UPLB Campus last
February 17.
Dr. Gil Magsino, a member of the DA Rice Black Bug Task Force, and a
University Researcher III and head of the Information Management and
Technical Services gave the lecture and asserted that it is very important to
learn how this pest behaves.
A “new” scourge of rice
The RBB is not entirely new to the Philippines. It was first seen in 1902 in
the Southern portion of the country, but the way it swarms, infests, travels
and suddenly appears from ricefield to ricefield renders it a potentially
dangerous pest.
Magsino averred, “The RBB, as it is commonly called, theoretically came
from Malaysia and traveled aboard trading boats and came to Palawan.”
From Palawan, it came to Mindanao, and then infested Visayas islands such
as Siquijor, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. Not long after, it entered the Luzon
mainland through the ports of Sorsogon, he added. Continued on next page
Vol 1 No 1
November 2008 - April 2009 9
 A very shifty organism want to use transplanting method,
they should only use two to three
The RBB, aside from being pesky, is seedlings per hill.
can be airborne and very mobile. It

courtesy of Dr. Gil Magsino

can spread by flight, moves to other Farmers should not plant fancy or
locations during typhoons, and even special types of rice such as the
travels across the sea by boat. “The “Malagkit” or “Burdagol” in areas
bugs are very attracted to light. susceptible to rice black bug attack
They love to fly during full moon. because based on observations,
RICE BLACK BUG can be a hard-to-control pest. Amazingly, they can fly as far as two fancy rice varieties are favored by
to three kilometers,” the researcher the bugs over other types.
RICE BLACK BUG INFESTATION ... said.
Continued from previous page Rice hybrids, though improved, are
“The RBB can easily proliferate also also targets of the pest because they
The small bug packs a lot of punch because of its reproductive habits,” are still susceptible to bacterial leaf
Dr. Magsino further discussed. blight – increasing the chances that
The RBB, a small four winged insect Female RBB can both produce eggs RBB will also come in because it
of the Order Heteroptera and Genus by mating and parthenogenesis – thrives in decaying matter.
Scotinophara, is no bigger than the so they actually do not need the
new five centavo coin. There are 25 males to propagate. Mating results Farmers should just practice
species present in the Philippines, to offsprings 50% male and 50% intermittent irrigation – they just
six species of which cause the most female, while self-reproduction have to keep the right amount
damage to crops. “S. coarctata results to all-male offsprings. of moisture in the soil after the
and S. sorsogonensis are the more harvesting stage so that the bugs do
popular ones right now based on Calamba farmers’ experience helps not multiply, as water management
incidence,” according to Magsino. is also a key factor in controlling the
Because the pest is creeping slowly spread of the pest.
RBB is a serious pest which attack into the food baskets of Laguna,
rice plants at almost all growth farmers need the proper information Other options to control RBB,
stages and is very difficult to to combat the bug. Farmers have biological way
manage. Bug infestation during much to learn from the experiences
the rice’s tillering stage will cause of the Calamba growers. “People can spray ‘green pesticides’
“deadheart” wherein tillers’ center such as the fungus Metarhizium
leaves turn brown and eventually “Light trapping is a preferred way anisopliae. This biological control
die. Meanwhile, infestation that to quickly kill and dispose the rice causes green muscardine disease
happens during the booting stage black bug,” Dr. Magsino reported. in rice black bug,” Dr. Magsino
results to panicles with empty Light traps, which cost about P3,000 recommended. Research shows
grains or underdeveloped panicles. per unit, are very easy to install that the fungal spray is safe to use.
On the other hand, when the rice and cheap to fabricate. “The trap The microscopic spores are typically
plant is attacked at the seed bed, is essentially a strong lamp with a sprayed on affected rice areas that
or during the maximum tillering up cone-shape clothed receptacle that kill the RBB in three to four days.
to harvesting stages, its leaves turn feeds into a waiting sack, captured
reddish brown, resulting to crop loss. bugs simply slide into the sack for Mass collection of the bugs by the
This condition is called “bugburn”. disposal,” he continued. community can also be done. In
some areas, in exchange for every
It particularly thrives in decaying Light trapping is done three days two kilograms of captured RBB, is
matter present in wet rice fields and before and after the full moon. “You one kilogram of rice.
areas with poor drainage. It is most would be surprised at how much
abundant in old rice stubbles and you can collect with this system,” Some studies revealed that RBB is
can even be found in other havens Magsino said. “During our trapping very high in urease, and thus can be
such as kangkong, gabi and common operations in Calamba, about converted to fertilizer. Dr. Magsino
weeds. “We even found out recently, 25 sacks of bugs were collected, also suggested that RBB buying
that it also inhabits water lilies that weighing about 15 kilos each.” stations be set up in areas where
abound in rivers and the nearby there is high infestation of RBB.
Laguna Lake,” Dr. Magsino further UPLB specialist recommends
said. Farmers, during harvest, should cut
Dr. Magsino suggested the following the stubbles close to the ground so
Dr. Magsino explained that severe as control measures to contain the that there will be lesser areas for
infestation can cause up to 100% RBB: the RBB to stay on. Farmers are also
loss of harvest. “In October of 2008, encouraged to rotavate their fields
rice production in the Calamba areas Farmers should plant rice using the after every harvest. [Florante Cruz]
fell as much as 50%,” he recounted. direct seeding method, or if they

University of the Philippines Los Baños

10 Research, Development and Extension Digest
UPLB search for highly-prized drugs
in ‘lowly’ Periwinkle continues
F ilipinos lament how medicine,
especially the life-saving ones,
is priced too high that ordinary
people can hardly afford.
In its modest way of contributing
its share in making medicine
available and affordable, UPLB
BIOTECH researchers have kept on
looking for more natural products
that can be developed into drugs.
Scientists in UP Los Baños are
currently employing biotechnology
to produce clinically-important
compounds called alkaloids from
an erstwhile common garden plant
– the Periwinkle.
According to Dr. Eufrocinio Marfori
of BIOTECH, certain compounds
may be derived from this plant
which can combat high blood
pressure and cancer.
Two alkaloids from periwinkle,
vinblastine and vincristine, have
been isolated and developed into
prescription anti-cancer drugs in
the 1950s and 60s.
Periwinkle as a source of drugs
Scientifically named Catharanthus
roseus, periwinkle is endemic to
Madagascar. But now, this shrub
can be found in almost any tropical
area in the world. This shrub has
oval to oblong leaves, white to
dark pink flowers, and grows up to
one meter tall. Possessing about
200 already identified chemical
compounds; it has been exploited
commercially as source of natural
products such as alkaloids.
Alkaloids are chemical compounds
which are naturally found in
bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals.
Using chemistry methods, alkaloids
can be purified from crude extracts
to produce pharmaceutical and
recreational drugs.
First foray into drug discovery
In the early 1990’s, Dr. William G.
Padolina of UPLB started culturing
and evaluating calluses from
flowers of a mutant periwinkle
plant found in Zamboanga. His
team subsequently established
a unique culture line of C. roseus
callus later designated as BCr-1.
Plant calluses are undifferentiated
cells which can be grown and
maintained in a growing media.
These materials have many uses,
for example, mass propagation of
identical copies of the plant and
DNA insertion experiments.
High performance liquid
chromatography analysis done in
1994 by Padolina’s team, which
included then the young Marfori,
showed that the vincristine
alkaloid extract from their C. roseus
calli was consistent with that of the
authentic one.
About a decade later
By the late 1990s, Dr. Marfori
brought with him to Japan the
BCr-1 Vinca callus for further
experimentation as part of his
doctoral dissertation studies. He
and his advisers in Osaka University
looked for what compound can
be produced if the BCr-1 callus
was grown in a culture medium
and infected with Trichoderma
harzianum – a fungus.
This type of growing method,
called dual culture, is known to
produce interactions between
plant and fungus in the laboratory.
When fungus infects a callus,
scenarios can evolve: new
metabolites may be produced
by the callus as a response to
infection, or they may be produced
by the fungus as it draws its
nutrition from the callus.
Background from commons.wikimedia.org
November 2008 - April 2009
In 2002, Dr. Marfori’s research
produced a novel antibiotic called
trichosetin. In microbial assays,
trichosetin showed a very strong
antimicrobial activity against
Methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) and Bacillus subtilis
Human and poultry cure in the
pipeline
After returning to UPLB, Dr.
Marfori conducted experiments to
determine the efficacy and safety
of trichosetin as a therapeutic
agent for poultry. His 2007 findings
showed that trichosetin inhibited a
strain of Staphylococcus sp. already
resistant to various drugs. It also
exhibited moderate activity against
Pasteurella multocida. Further
experiments showed that it was
non-toxic to chicken and did not
cause cells to mutate.
Dr. Marfori has recently reported
that his group has conducted
mutagenicity tests to assess
the safety of use of trichosetin.
According to the report, rec assays,
Ames’ test and micronucleus test
revealed that trichosetin is not
mutagenic.
Peering into the alkaloid universe
With funding from the Department
of Science and Technology, Dr.
Marfori is now looking for other
potential and prized compounds
from the BCr-1 callus.
Only this year, using commonly
used alkaloid extraction methods,
he identified that the callus also
produced ajmalicine–a compound
mainly uses as an anti-hypertensive
agent.
Dr. Marfori is optimistic that with
the aid of modern biotechnology
and the Philippines’ vast natural
resources, more researchers will
pursue the goal of discovering and
creating affordable drugs for every
Filipino. [Florante Cruz]
Vol 1 No 1
11
‘Brain’ developed for low-cost PC-based
grading of tomatoes and eggs
M ulti-awarded computer
scientist Prof. Jaderick Pabico
of the University of the Philippines
Los Baños has developed a
computational model that can
operate a cheap computer-based
system to grade agricultural
produce such as tomatoes and
eggs.
The model, he reports, is based
on a ‘neural network’ which can
produce artificial intelligence for
automation.
Grades are important
In most countries, including the
Philippines, many agricultural
products are still graded using a
standard criterion. In tomatoes,
color is used to determine
ripeness; in eggs, the shells are
inspected for defects.
The color of tomato and the shell
quality of eggs affect consumers’
purchasing habits, hence, dictate
the price of the product. Accurate
grading is therefore critical for
enterprises.
The problem with visual inspection
of tomatoes and eggs, however,
is that of accuracy over time.
“Because manual grading is labor-
intensive, workers will naturally
grow tired and bored— thus
increasing the chances for errors,
especially after they have worked
for a few hours without break,”
explained Prof. Pabico.
Solution: automate the grading
Although several ways of
automated grading of agricultural
products have been developed
abroad, the systems are costly and
would only work in controlled farm
environments. The Philippines
needed something for its small
farms.
University of the Philippines Los Baños
12 Research, Development and Extension Digest
Prof. Pabico’s model provides an
affordable alternative. He came
up with it by setting up machine
vision systems (MVS) – two
computers equipped each with a
web camera. The first MVS will be
used for grading tomatoes while
the second, for eggs.
The camera serves as the “eye”
of the MVS that senses and
captures images of the tomatoes
or eggs, while the computer runs
the “brain” of the MVS, which
determines the grade of the
produce.
Creating the brains
Prof. Pabico said that building the
MVSs is the easy part. It is creating
and optimizing the brains for each
system that took time.
“We took the first MVS set to
a commercial tomato farm in
Tagaytay City and took 6,000
pictures of freshly harvested
tomatoes using the web camera.
The other unit we used to capture
750 images of harvested eggs from
a backyard poultry raiser in Sariaya,
Quezon,” Prof. Pabico recounted.
The images of the tomatoes
and eggs were then prepared
for ‘feeding’ into the respective
brains—an artificial neural network
(ANN). The process involved
extracting the image of the
product from its background using
what is called an edge algorithm,
extracting the red/green/blue
spectral patterns of the product,
and normalization of the patterns.
The normalized patterns were used
to ‘train’ the MVSs to grade the
tomatoes and eggs.
After running tests, the computers
determined whether the tomatoes
where in the Green, Breakers,
Turning, Pink, Light Red, and Red
Background images from commons.wikimedia.org
stages and whether the eggs are
acceptable or rejects.
Brains win against brawns
After measuring performances
of both human graders and the
ANN in classifying eggs, Prof.
Pabico found that the ANN posted
a grading performance of 76%;
humans posted 73%. ANN also
did the job of classifying tomatoes
better, recording an accuracy of
97% against the humans’ 93%.
In addition, the average accuracy
of the human tomato and egg
graders declined over an eight-
hour work shift. Human accuracy
was found to go up again after
15-minute snack breaks and
after lunch, but the performance
increase was not enough to bring
the accuracy back to original levels.
The ANNs developed in this
research may be used as a potent
classifier for MVSs for tomato
maturity classification and egg
grading,” said Prof. Pabico.
Another bright idea
“Later on we hope to look into the
rate of grading of both humans and
the MVS by hooking up the MVS
to a conveyor belt. We can then
look for ways to speed up image
acquisition and processing, as well
as the analysis by the ANN and its
data output on screen,” he added.
“With current advances in ANN
research, it may be soon possible
to grade agricultural produce using
a group of ANNs that will analyze
objects simultaneously. This would
increase accuracy even more,” he
concluded. [Florante Cruz]
 Technology-Entrepreneurship Marriage
I n April 2009, a summer short course
designed for UPLB graduates and
faculty of nearby SUCs inclined to
entrepreneurship will be offered at UPLB.
The six-week short course will cover
the whole process of basic techno-
entrepreneurship - from business
identification, marketing, development of
entrepreneurial competencies, financing
start-ups to business plan preparation.
The short course will kick off the program
entitled “Harnessing UPLB’s Capacity
for Technopreneurship and Technology
Commercialization: Key to Better Placed
AFNR Graduates.”
With this program, it is hoped that
renewed interest in agriculture, fishery
Barrios to benefit from UPLB’s mini corn mill
A n agricultural engineer in UP Los
Baños has developed a small-scale
corn mill suitable for village-level
operation. Engineer Balbino Geronimo
of the College of Engineering and
Agro-industrial Technology had
in mind the country’s small corn-
producing villages when he designed
the mini corn mill.
In the Philippines, people in several
barangays plant and consume white
corn as their staple food. These
barangays are usually in remote areas
and thus have difficulty accessing
commercial corn mills. In these areas,
putting up a large-scale corn mill
would cost millions of pesos and may
not be cost-effective or even feasible.
As a result, most of the farmer’s white
corn produce is traded instead of
consumed. The farmer would have to
buy milled corn or rice for his family,
Geronimo explained.
Mini corn mill specs
The mini corn mill developed at
UPLB can process corn grains, dried
to 14% moisture content, at a rate
of 91 kilograms per hour. The dried
corn grain is loaded into a hopper
that puts the grain inside the milling
drum. Before the corn grits are passed
onto the sieve tray, it is cleaned by a
blower.
and natural resources (AFNR) and allied
courses will be cultivated through
technopreneurship and technology
commercialization among students,
faculty, technology developers, and other
entities.
Funded by the Department of Science and
Technology through the Philippine Council
for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural
Resources Research and Development,
the short course will be facilitated by
the UPLB’s Department of Agribusiness
Management in collaboration with
BIOTECH, and the Food Science Cluster
and Animal and Dairy Science Cluster of
the College of Agriculture.
Selected participants of the training will
benefit from actually implementing a
business plan.
The grits are then graded by size by
the sieve tray, producing grits with
sizes #10, 12, and 14. All of the grits,
including the produced corn bran,
exit through separate outlets and are
collected in pails or sacks.
Although only 42% of the grains
milled become grits, the by-products
may also be used for food and feeds,
hence, nothing is wasted.
The corn mill weighs less than
200 kilograms making it ‘portable’
enough for moving from one village
to another. It is powered by a 5
horsepower gasoline engine and
therefore needs no electricity.
Good size for farmers’ organizations
White corn yield in most remote
areas is about two tons per hectare,
according to Dr. Artemio Salazar of
the Crop Science Cluster – College of
Agriculture. Using the UPLB mini corn
mill as an investment, a village would
need just 73 hectares per season to
match the mill’s capacity. IPB has
developed open-pollinated varieties
that could easily yield four tons per
hectare, with which farmers will be
able to use other areas of their farms
to plant vegetables and other cash
crops, or perhaps even raise livestock.
Engr. Geronimo estimated that, from
an eight-hour operation, a farmers’
November 2008 - April 2009
Specifically, those who will be selected
will be provided business and technical
mentoring by the experts during the
implementation.
In addition, to practice what they will
learn from the course, the selected
enrollees’ individual start-up projects
will be done in the laboratories of the
Food Science Cluster, Animal and Dairy
Science Cluster and BIOTECH where they
will be exposed to actual product/process
demonstrations.
The ultimate goal of the program is
to provide career-oriented livelihood
opportunities to AFNR and other allied
graduates that will better place them in
the labor market. [Ruth M. Almario and
Dr. Dinah Pura T. Depositario]
group using the mini corn mill can
produce quality corn grits to feed
about a thousand persons—the
equivalent of a moderately-sized
barangay—for a day.
Complementary technology
The UPLB-based National Corn RDE
Network, currently headed by Dr.
Salazar, is assisting the government in
the promotion and commercialization
of the mini corn mill. “The corn mill
is a UPLB-developed technology that
could greatly help increase our use of
the different corn varieties we have
developed,” he explained.
The recently released white quality
protein maize (QPM) variety or IPB
Var 6—a high-yielding variety that is
rich in lysine and tryptophan—comes
in good time. The genetic material
for the new variety came from the
International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center or CYMMIT in
Mexico and was improved here in
UPLB.
Engr. Geronimo said this package of
technologies will greatly help reduce
hunger in the rural areas. “Farmers
can plant high-yielding and nutritious
corn and process their own produce
using the mini corn mill right in
their village—a great combination
to concretely address food access
for Filipinos in the countryside,” he
concluded. [Florante Cruz]
Vol 1 No 1
13

White corn no longer
poor man’s rice
M any Filipinos, particularly
in the poorer parts of the
Visayas and Mindanao regions,
eat white corn as their staple food
instead of rice.
Some have said that white corn is
not as healthy as well-milled fancy
rice. Dr. Artemio Salazar, a breeder
at UP Los Baños says otherwise.
Corn, in general, has higher
amylose content than rice. Being a
slow-release carbohydrate, white
corn, according to Dr. Salazar is
best for stamina-requiring activities
such as farming or boxing. It is also
recommended for weight watchers
because it reduces food cravings.
White corn also has a low glycemic
index. “People with diabetes
should eat more of it; it does
not raise blood sugar levels that
much,” Dr. Salazar added.
An alternative ‘staple’
UPLB researchers have formulated
a rice-corn mixture that may be
used to replace rice on the dinner
table. White corn is milled into
grits and mixed with rice grains
to produce what is called a ‘rice
composite.’
In a study by Dr. Wilma A. Hurtada
of the Institute of the Human
Nutrition and Food-College of
Human Ecology, a composite made
up of 60% rice and 40% corn grits
University of the Philippines Los Baños
14 Research, Development and Extension Digest
is comparable to rice in taste
acceptability tests conducted in
rice-eating communities.
Extensionists at UPLB’s College of
Agriculture have been promoting
the UPLB Rice-Corn Composite in
every exhibition and technology
demonstration possible. “We try to
emphasize the potential benefits–
nutritional and economic–of using
white corn every chance we get,”
Dr. Salazar said.
Economic and health benefits
Increased production and
consumption of white corn in the
future would provide the country
more flexibility in trying to meet
our increasing food needs. White
corn production is basically rainfed
and does not require expensive
irrigation.
Dr. Salazar is optimistic that, with
renewed interest in white corn,
there will be an increase in corn
eaters. “Importation of rice could
decrease, saving the government
money to support other important
matters such as education and
infrastructure,” Dr. Salazar said.
A country-wide strategy for white
corn
“The Department of Agriculture
(DA) realizes that white corn
production in the Philippines
should also be seriously
supported,” said Dr. Salazar, who
christopherLABE
is also a member of the Technical
Working Group of the Ginintuang
Masaganang Ani (GMA) Corn
Program of the DA.
UPLB has signed an agreement
with DA to produce 10,000 bags of
UPLB’s IPB Var 6 white corn seeds
for distribution to farmers. IPB
Var 6 is a high-yielding white corn
variety that has high lysine and
tryptophan levels, hence, more
protein content. It is the first of its
kind in the country.
An open-pollinated variety, IPB
Var 6 can be easily shared among
farmers for succeeding plantings
after the first harvest. This reduces
the need for additional and
possibly expensive farm inputs.
A yellow version of IPB Var 6 is
being developed for livestock
and poultry feeds. With its high
protein content, it will not require
expensive feed additives, thus
lowering production costs.
From the perception that corn is
only for the downtrodden, it could
now be said that it need not be a
direct equivalence. “Because of the
additional nutritional attributes
it now possesses, white corn will
benefit everybody,” Dr. Salazar
concluded.
Dr. Salazar is a faculty and
researcher of the College of
Agriculture-UP Los Baños.
[Florante Cruz]
I nterested in starting up a
business or marketing a UPLB-
developed technology? Or is your
company already established but
thinking of expanding by setting up
another branch or facility?
Come and visit UPLB and see how
our technology business incubator
(TBI) may be of assistance to your
business situated right inside the
campus’ Science and Technology
Park (STP).
The TBI as a service program
of the university provides a
nurturing environment for growing
businesses at affordable rates, and
much more. While establishing
business at the UPLB STP, you can
access UPLB’s service laboratories
and pool of manpower and
resources. You can get professional
assistance such counseling on
intellectual property rights and
legal matters. Your start-up may
also avail management and
business strategy services such
as business plan preparation, R &
D strategy formulation, financial
matching support and networking.
How TBI came about?
Business incubation (BI) is defined
by the United Kingdom Business
Incubation Association as a unique
and highly flexible combination of
business development processes,
infrastructure and people,
designed to nurture and grow new
and small businesses by supporting
them through the early stages of
development, change and growth.
The concept became popular in the
USA and Europe as an economic
development tool in the 1980s.
Today, the number of business
incubators is increasing and has
already reached Asia particularly
China and Malaysia, North America
and Latin America.
Want to invest?
TBI might be of help
Incubators are generally composed
of universities, science parks, non-
government organizations, and
the private sector. They are usually
in partnership with government
agencies, financial institutions,
venture capitalists and other
organizations.
One of the most popular types
of business incubator is the
technology business incubator
which targets high-growth
technology firms requiring a strong
foundation in technology and
human capital to support their
business growth.
The business incubation concept
is relatively new in the Philippines.
Although there have been
initiatives in the past, these were
not able to meet expectations and
sustain operations.
Presently, business incubation
in the country is being revived
through the efforts of the
Philippine Council for Advanced
Science and Technology Research
and Development (PCASTRD)
in partnership with Germany-
based InWent Capability Building,
International.
Under this program, five selected
pilot TBIs will be put in the
following locations: UP Los
Baños for agri-biotechnology
and information technology, UP
Cebu College for information
technology, UP Visayas for oceanic
and aqua-marine technologies, and
November 2008 - April 2009
Central Luzon State University for
agriculture and food.
The UPLB Technology Business
Incubator (UPLB TBI)
As the leader in agriculture,
biotechnology, environment,
and engineering research in the
country, UPLB is establishing its
TBI in line with the Department of
Science and Technology’s (DOST)
medium-term plan to strengthen
the transfer and commercialization
of UPLB-developed technologies.
The UPLB TBI focuses on
technology-based businesses
and will provide a resource-
rich environment where
entrepreneurial ventures can take
root, where young companies can
develop their potential, and where
established firms can expand their
opportunities.
UPLB has already three incubator
buildings built through a DOST
grant. Although these TBIs are
not fully functional yet, efforts are
underway towards reviving their
operation.
At the outset, the UPLB STP has
already been expanded to cover
156 hectares which includes
some of UPLB’s research units
and institutions. Of the area, 22
hectares have been allocated for
the Agri-Biotech TBI while five
hectares will be for the Information
Technology Hub.
Continued on last page
Vol 1 No 1
15
TECHONOLOGY BUSINESS INCUBATION ...
Continued from previous page
To fast track the
commercialization of
technologies, the Center
for Technology Transfer and
Entrepreneurship was created
by the UPLB administration.
It performs the integrated
functions of the APEC Center
for Technology Exchange
and Training for Small
and Medium Enterprises,
Intellectual Property
Office, and the Science and
Technology Park.
In general, the targets
groups of the UPLB TBI are
bioindustry technology-driven
companies as well as the
non-bioindustry companies
(including IT-oriented
businesses) which are seeking
to commercialize technologies self-
developed, developed by UPLB or
by developed by other entities.
According to a feasibility study
conducted last April 2008 by
ta eam tasked to prepare the
establishment of the UPLB TBI, the
possible incubatees are university
researchers who might want to
spin-off their own developed
technologies or start a business
in partnership with the private
or public sector; students who
want to start a business using
technologies they have developed
or other technologies available,
and entrepreneurs and investors.
Established companies who may
want to expand their business
through the TBI are also targeted.
University of the Philippines Los Baños
16 Research, Development and Extension Digest
PRODUCTS such as virgin coconut oil, soap
and other coconut-based body care items are
currently produced at the UPLB Science and
Technology Park by O’ Mark Enterprises.
Retired BIOTECH researcher Dr. Teresita M.
Espino is the the company’s proprietor.
The RDE Digest is published
semi-annually by the Office of the Vice-
Chancellor for Research and Extension with
office at the OVCRE Building, Kanluran
corner Lanzones Roads, UPLB, College,
Laguna 4031 Philippines.
It is released during April and October of the
year, in time for the UPLB Commencement
Exercises and UPLB Loyalty Day.
editorial consultants
Enrico P. Supangco
Moises A. Dorado
editor-in-chief
Rosario Gabatin
managing editor
Florante A. Cruz
writers
floranteCRUZ
Elias B. Abao, Jr.
Perrose L. Comendador
Ruth A. Almario
UPLB hopes that through Florante A. Cruz
technology business incubation, it contributors
can encourage more commercial Darwin C. Aranguren
Dinah Pura T. Depositario
application of its various Thaddeus P. Lawas
technologies. The TBI will also layout and design
serve as a feedback mechanism Florante A. Cruz
or the vehicle for the university production
Evelyn E. Bite
to interact more with private and circulation
public sectors. Mark Leo M. Macabeo
Otherwise stated, articles appearing in every
As UPLB aggressive promotes agro- issue are selected from those which have
industrial development particularly been already published online at the UPLB
in the CALABARZON area and in RDE News Website [http://rdenews.uplb.
edu.ph].
the Asia-Pacific region
Contributions related to research and
extension from UPLB faculty and staff are
With the TBI, UPLB asserts welcome. Please send manuscripts and digital
its capacity for technology photographs via email: ovcre@uplb.edu.ph.
commercialization and
Comments on the published content can also
technoentrepreneurship. be sent through the same email address.
[Perrose L. Comendador and Dr. Dinah
Pura T. Depositario] Requests for use of content for publication
should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.