Category: AGRICULTURE

Mulching arrests uneven fruit ripening in durian, study reveals.

Quality and quantity are the keywords that out an industry ahead of its competitors. Though there is increased demand for durian ( durio zibethinus ) in the world markets due largely to its rich and exotic taste, – the country has been unable to tap this opportunity for export earnings as the local industry is hampered by limited production of high-quality durian.

The durian production industry has been incurring losses due largely to a physiological disorder appearing in the fruits. Known as uneven fruit ripening (UFR), this disease is characterized by a hardened leathery aril, and a whitish color, odourless and tasteless pulp. It normally occurs when the fruits are about to ripen and remains invisible until the fruits are opened.

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Micropropagation: Propagating Coconut through Tissue Culture

The era of trade liberalization opens an opportunity for the Philippine coconut industry to become a dominant player in the world market, as the country ranks as the third largest producer of coconut products such as coconut oil and desiccated coconut. However, low production output and the high incidence of pests and diseases impede on the industry’s ability to assume this role.

In a bid to arrest these problems, or at least lessen its impact, a study on the “micropropagation of coconut from epicotyl tissues” was conducted in the Philippine Coconut Authority – Albay Research Center.
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Accelerating coconut replanting program through biotech

Advances in crop biotechnology have led to novel applications of FND-based marker technologies in identifying superior planting materials and preserving genetic diversity. For instance, molecular marker technologies can be used to study percentage and population structures, determine effective population size, identify population-specific makers, test hybridity and accurately assess genotypes of individuals or genetic purity/variability of different populations.

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) recognizes the potentials of biotechnology. It recently awarded a research grant to the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) in UP Los Banos entitled “marker-Assisted Identification and Utilization of Outstanding Tall Populations and Hybrids for Accelerated Coconut Replanting,” a project that utilizes and explores the possibilities of this new paradigm in agriculture.
The replanting scheme

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Transgenic fish 21st century solution to decreased fish farming productivity

Fish, seaweed and shellfish farming are traditional practices in the Philippines. Farming bangus, oyster and tahong cultures are probably the older practices as compared to tilapia farming which was introduced only in the 1950s, and prawn and seaweed farming in the late-1970s. Farming other fish and shellfish started only recently. Fish farming or aquaculture needs to grow in order to feed a rapidly growing population. And the continuing decrease in fish catches from both fresh and saltwater sources makes this need all the more urgent. This concern is felt not only in the Philippines but in the whole world. In the US alone, aquaculture production has grown 5-10% annually in the past decade. From 1984-1998 , global aquaculture production more than doubled. The UN said world aquaculture production must increase seven times in the next 25 to 30 years just to maintain current levels of consumption.

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