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Mar 09, 2021

Online seminar features onion armyworm management strategies

Research results on the management of onion armyworm (OAW) were the highlight during the monthly online seminar of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research on 9 March 2021 via Facebook livestream.Scientist Mario Navasero of the National Crop Protection Center of the University of the Philippines Los Baños shared relevant information regarding the pest’s migration and infestation patterns, as well as potential strategies for its control.“This is a ‘transboundary plant pest’ which means that it has the ability to migrate between islands and even countries,” Navasero revealed.OAW feeds on the leaves of an array of vegetables and crops including onion, corn, rice, ampalaya, eggplant, tomato, hot pepper, legumes, and kamote, among others, which makes it an economically important pest.Some of the strategies discussed include traps, some natural enemies of OAW, and chemical pesticides.One of the traps mentioned was the synthetic sex pheromones used to lure the pest’s male adults. Based on studies abroad, it was recommended to have 20 lures for a hectare or one lure per 50 square meters.Another option was the use of white UV lights which attracts both male and female adults, but with the use of electricity.Two natural enemies were also identified such as the parasitoid wasps braconid and Telenomus sp. which lay eggs on the worms and eggs of OAW, respectively, at the cost of the pest’s life.Two microbes were also seen to potentially control OAW. One is the fungus Metarhizium rileyi which grows and encloses the pest in its spores. The other is the Spodoptera exigua Multi Nucleopolyhedrosis virus which causes the pest to disintegrate.As for the use of pesticide, Navasero advised to use them properly, and to utilize ones that belong to different groups of known modes of action.The online seminar was participated in by 483 individuals nationwide and viewed by more than 5,000 people around the world on the said platform. 

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Mar 24, 2021

Empowering women through edible landscaping

The story of how edible landscaping helped empower the women of Surigao del Norte was discussed during the online seminar of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) on 24 March 2021 via Facebook live in lieu of the National Women’s Month celebration. “The [University of the Philippines Los Baños] (UPLB) came up with an idea to fuse ‘yung dalawa [edible food and ornamental plants], kaya nagkaroon tayo ng edible landscaping [EL] kung saan ‘yung itatanim mo bukod sa masustansya at makakatipid ka kasi mayroon ka ng pagkain diyan ay naka-landscape pa siya,” DA-BAR director Dr. Vivencio R. Mamaril said during his opening message. UPLB Prof. Rowena P. de Guzman served as resource speaker. As co-project leader, she shared the experiences with The Valley Cathedral Christian Church (TVCCC)–Capangdan, the project’s selected target sector of the community. TVCC is a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered non-government organization chapter.TVCCC–Capangdan’s women were profiled and trained to develop their own EL garden design, which was further refined and established by the UPLB EL team. From the process of site selection, final design presentation, and establishment of the EL garden up to monitoring and evaluation, initial findings on the gathered data provided insights on how the EL garden empowered the women participants.         “Nakakatulong ang edible garden sa aming lugar dito sa TVCCC. Marami nang mga tao [ang] pumunta dito sa amin at saka marami na kaming natutunan at marami na kaming nakilala. . . . Saka hindi na kami mahiyain. Sila [na] rin [ang] pumunta sa amin, [upang] mabisita [ang] aming EL garden,” said TVCCC EL garden in-charge Luzvilla E. Blancada during the impact assessment on women empowerment. With discussions on companion cropping, organic concoctions, soil mixtures, pest management practices, and requirements, among others, the online seminar garnered 2,149 engagements and reached a total of 7,921 attendees or viewers, which comprises mostly of women. 

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Mar 15, 2021

Over 800 agri-fishery graduates embark on agribusiness internship

To involve the youth in agriculture and equip them to become successful agripreneurs, 808 selected agriculture and fishery graduates officially started their internship under the Mentoring and Attracting Youth in Agribusiness (MAYA) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on 15 March 2021.“You are the chosen few. You are taking a path forward, a journey, so to speak. The field of agriculture needs all the minds and power that every youth can unleash in terms of elevating and growing Philippine agriculture,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar told the first batch of MAYA interns as he handed over their respective “notice of award” on 10 March 2021 at the DA Central Office in Quezon City.DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) director Dr. Vivencio R. Mamaril further emphasized that the program will not only provide technical assistance but also serve as a motivation for the youth to be part of different agricultural processes and, later on, be the future leaders of the agricultural sector. “Ang prinispyo ng MAYA program ay ang ating kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan. Kaya ang mga batang ito, gusto natin silang maging parte ng komunidad lalo na sa sektor ng agrikultura kung saan sila matututo kung paano bang mag-produce ng pagkain, kung gaano kahalaga ang pagkain sa bawat Pilipino, at bigyang halaga ‘yung mga taong nagpo-produce o gumagawa ng pagkain para sa ating lahat,” director Mamaril said.Coordinated by DA-BAR, MAYA is a six-month internship program that aims to transform a cadre of young Filipinos into “agripreneurs” or technocrats.Director Mamaril said that MAYA will be conducted through experiential learning, or a learner-centric methodology, that will enable the interns, who will receive a monthly allowance of PhP 20,000, to put into immediate use the knowledge and skills that they’ve learned in a relevant fashion.“The MAYA interns will be mentored by designated DA personnel. The first three weeks will be spent in their holding offices, wherein they will undergo a blended approach of mentoring using a specially-designed curriculum that will equip them either as agripreneur or be a part of the employment-ready workforce of the DA family,” said director Mamaril. Two hundred forty interns were registered collectively under the care of DA regional field offices while the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources offices have 238. More so, 278 interns were enrolled in DA-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute and the remaining 52 were deployed in different agencies and institutions of the department.“The last 18 weeks will prepare them for the real world. They will be deployed in DA partner agencies, preferably private organizations involved in food production, for them to have better appreciation, understanding, and awareness of how food is being produced,” he added.Secretary Dar recalled that when he came forth as the servant-leader at DA in August 2019, he has given special attention to entice the younger generation to agriculture through agribusiness, as for him, it is the way forward to unlock the potential of Philippine agriculture.“Our personnel staff in agriculture are already aging, and thus we need to put up this MAYA program for two purposes. First, they will have to be exposed to the field of agriculture and agribusiness; and second, to actual farm situation and agribusiness operations,” he added.Director Mamaril challenged the interns that their learnings should not stop when the program ends. He urged them to use their experiences and learnings in entrepreneurial ventures and the country’s food production system. Because as Secretary Dar believes, “The youth of today can contribute in attaining our ‘OneDA’ agenda, particularly our four major strategies: farm consolidation, modernization, industrialization, and professionalization.” 

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Feb 10, 2021

Complementing roles in strengthening technology transfer mechanisms

To further discuss the technology transfer mechanisms between two agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA): the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), DA-BAR hosted the follow-through meeting held on 10 February 2021 at Diliman, Quezon City.The meeting underscored the importance of establishing and institutionalizing mechanisms on how the two agencies will complement its roles in line with the Department’s research for development and extension (R4DE) programs and activities. Further to this, is ensuring that generated technologies and research results will be usable and readily accessible by farmers and clientele.Discussions took off from the outputs of the conducted RDE Complementation Workshop held in 2018. DA-ATI assistant director Dr. Rosana P. Mula shared her appreciation on the initial works between DA-BAR and DA-ATI in the past years. She envisions that these “bits and pieces” will make the partnership really meaningful and towards the development of the kind of impact the Department of Agriculture wants to happen. This is seconded by DA-BAR assistant director Joell H. Lales to strengthen linkages in the R4DE continuum.In the past, DA-BAR and DA-ATI have established partnerships in a number of programs and activities. These include development of online courses in the e-Learning component of the e-Extension Program, provision of IEC materials produced by DA-BAR in DA-ATI’s FITS Centers, among others. Also, said agencies together with the Manila Bulletin have featured various technologies in AgriTalk. Future steps will revolve in harmonizing functions and responsibilities through an established operational framework and creation of the Technical Working Group. Further, it is hoped that partnerships will be imbedded from program development, project evaluation, monitoring and evaluation down to transferring outputs of research supported by DA-BAR.

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Feb 02, 2021

Kurikong management discussed in DA-BAR webinar

Proper management of cecid fly or kurikong (Procontarinia frugivora) was discussed during the webinar of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) on 2 February 2021 via Facebook live.Dr. Celia dR. Medina, expert on entomology from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), discussed the importance of understanding the life cycle and behavior of cecid fly and its implication to the fruit development of mango as well as the reasons for the failure of the usual control and management recommendations.Recorded only in the country, kurikong starts to attack and feed on the surface of the fruit at 32-35 days after flower induction which is the onset of fruit development. “This is the period of time that farmers should be vigilant in monitoring the attack of cecid fly. If at this stage the population is not controlled, [farmers] will have more cecid fly during the later stage of fruit development,” said Dr. Medina.She also elaborated that the improper use of insecticides promotes the selection of a resistant population and kills the natural enemies of cecid fly.“We should use insecticide judiciously. Follow the recommended rate, spray only when necessary, and observe pre-harvest interval to ensure that the mango is safe for the consumers,” stressed Dr. Medina.Further, insecticides with different modes of action were recommended to control the population.  Also, adding spreader sticker to the spray solution helps coat the fruit more thoroughly thereby killing insect pests that alight on it.“Use complementary control methods such as fruit bagging, mulching, and proper disposal of fallen fruits,” added Dr. Medina.UPLB, together with DA-BAR and DA-Fertilizer and Pest Authority, crafted a manual containing these management strategies and other helpful information. Attended by 380 people, the webinar was the first live online seminar of the bureau. “As a mango focal, I have learned a lot in this seminar on how to control pests in mango especially the cecid fly. [Dr. Medina] was able to share some best practices and recommendations on how to control it that I can also share to our local mango growers,” said participant Maria Rosario D. Ignacio.The next seminar on 9 and 24 March 2021 will talk about onion armyworm management and edible landscaping, respectively.

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Feb 09, 2021

Bayanihan spirit brings further hope to Lumad adlay farmers in Bukidnon

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pouring in support to an organized indigenous peoples community in Bukidnon. Lumad farmers intend to grow adlay to ensure sustained household food security, and at the same time bring their harvest to markets.Funded under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or “Bayanihan 2” being coordinated by DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), assistance in the form of inputs, technical trainings, machineries, which include development and marketing of adlay-based products are expected to reach the farmers’ organization - Kaliwawa Salwagan Talaandig Tribal Agricultural Cooperative (KASATATRIACO) in the highlands of Barangay Lerongan. Lorena V. Duna, program leader of the Adlay Enterprise Development program in the region, said that the KASATATRIACO is among the five farmers’ group identified for the enterprise support mechanism of the program. Further to this, a team from the DA-Regional Field Office 10 organized a community orientation on adlay enterprise and training on adlay production on 9 February 2021 attended by around 30 Lumads.The enterprise support program shall assist KASATATRIACO’s 52 adlay farming families. Around 75 hectares of adlay are currently planted in the area not only for food production, but also for soil cover against soil erosion. These are among the contribution of indigenous peoples not only in biodiversity preservation but also in sustaining life and food availability in the highlands.The government’s research for development program on Adlay Enterprise Development in Marginal Areas in Northern Mindanao hopes to accomplish three-fold developments on the social, economic and environmental aspects of food production in these areas.Through the adlay research for development (R4D) program in the region, DA-BAR has supported the adoption and promotion of adlay package of technologies and postharvest equipments; development of various food products and by-products; and further strengthening of market linkages in some areas of Bukidnon and Metro Manila. To date, a total of 175 hectares were established for commercial production of adlay in the provinces of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental.IP communities assisted by the adlay R4D program include: Lumad farmers in Bukidnon in Region 10; Subanen Tribe in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay in Region 9, and the Solidarity Farmers Association in Little Baguio in Malita, Davao Occidental.