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UPLB Research, Development and Extension News

Basic research ascertains optimal temp for bending plantation-grown rattan

Saturday, 22 May 2010 00:00 Florante A. Cruz Feature Stories - Forest products and paper science
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Rattan (Calamus merrillii Becc.) is an important non-timber forest product of the Philippines. In the Southeast Asian region, it is second only to timber in value.

The manufacture of rattan cane into furniture and other high-value items contributes greatly to the domestic employment and export economy.

But owing to the unabated exploitation of the natural forests of the country, as well as the unregulated extraction of rattan from the wild, the furniture industry is facing a shortage of good-quality rattan canes.

Although rattan plantations have in fact been established around the country, manufacturers seldom use materials from these sources. According to forester-researcher Dr. Willie P. Abasolo of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, “furniture makers probably still prefer rattan sourced from the wild rather than those commercially-grown because they are uncertain of the quality of these new materials.”

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Notice of patent allowability issued to UPLB technology for extending the marketable life of ‘Carabao’ mangoes

Monday, 24 May 2010 00:00 Elias B. Abao, Jr. Feature Stories - Intellectual property
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The Intellectual Property Philippines has issued a notice of patent allowability to “A Method for Extending the Marketable Life of ‘Carabao’Mangoes,” a technology developed by Dr. Ma. Concepcion C. Lizada, a former Director of the then College of Agriculture-Postharvest Research and Training Center.

With a notice of patent allowability, UPLB is set to be granted the patent for this invention.

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Behind distillery waste use and beyond: BIOTECH’s Liquid Fertilization Team 2010 Outstanding Extension Team

Thursday, 27 May 2010 00:00 administrator Feature Stories - Industrial and environmental biotechnology
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Distilleries use waste by-products such as molasses from sugar mills to ferment it to ethanol, which is the source of whisky, brandy, gin and vodka that are available in the market.

In 1999, owners of the distilleries Absolut Chemicals Inc (ABSOLUT) and Consolidated Distillers of the Far East (CONDIS) in Batangas found themselves in hot water when their plants’ effluents reportedly found its way in the Bag-bag and Palico Rivers in Lian and Nasugbu, resulting in massive fish kills in said rivers. Faced with the very real possibility of closing shop as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had already issued a cease and desist order, they turned to a reliable partner for help.

The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) and the Institute’s Liquid Fertilization Team originally composed of Dr. Ma. Luz F. Paje, Dr. Jose Paolo V. Magbanua and Ms. Elizabeth C. Bugante heeded the call and signed up to collaborate with them. The following year, another distillery, the Pampanga-based Far East Alcohol Corporation (FEACO) also turned to BIOTECH because of a similar concern on the Apalit River.

Liquid Fertilization Team leader Dr. Veronica P. Migo, a chemist, recalled how they got into the picture. In a meeting of stakeholders called by then DENR Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles, the distillery owners, concerned community groups and members of the academe were told to come up with a “win-win solution,” that will not harm the environment. The closure of the distillery plants was not an option since a lot of sectors, including the distillery owners themselves, the farmers, and the azucarera owners, depend greatly on sugarcane production for their livelihood.

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1st National Conference on Bioremediation

Sunday, 18 July 2010 15:57 administrator Announcements - Conferences
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1st NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOREMEDIATION
Trader's Hotel, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
26-27 October 2010

Sponsored by
National Academy of Science and Technology
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development, DOST

"Addressing the Problems and Solutions of Environmental Pollution through Bioremediation"

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First ever successful tissue culture system of Carabao Mango spells sweeter and prolific times ahead

Thursday, 20 May 2010 00:35 Florante A. Cruz Feature Stories - Crop sciences
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The ‘Carabao’ mango, also known as Manila Super, is one of the top fruit exports of the Philippines, third to banana and pineapple, and enjoys a big market overseas.

Nearly 90% of our mango export is sold in Japan and Hongkong—the gateway to the Chinese consuming market— while the rest are brought to the United States and Europe. Approximately $20M worth of Philippine mangoes was exported in 2008, according to the Department of Agriculture.

One of the problems encountered in enhancing the genetic potential of the Philippine ‘Carabao’ mango through biotechnology is the difficulty in culturing the mangoes in vitro.

Prof. Lilian F. Pateña, a plant physiology expert at the Crop Science Cluster (CSC) of the UPLB College of Agriculture (CA), relates that “improving the Carabao mangoes’ skin, size, and shelf life through genetic engineering would need an efficient tissue culture system.”

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