PJCS: Making history in science publishing

YOU CAN SAY WE MADE HAY while the sun shone in Los Baños, Laguna in the Philippines in the early years of this millennium; then we applied it on the field. I'm talking about the Philippine Journal of Crop Science, PJCS, of which I was Editor in Chief from issue April 2001 to issue April 2008. This journal, published by the Crop Science Society of the Philippines, CSSP, was 2 years late in fact when I came in. I applied for the job anyway, because it was impossible to make it ever up-to-date after decades of being late, and I love to do the impossible. Why not? No pain, no gain. No pressure, no pleasure!

It was going to challenge every little skill I had: technical writing and technical editing of papers written in the broad fields of agriculture and forestry. Above all, it was going to challenge what expertise I had in desktop publishing, because I said I was going to do the desktop publishing of the journal myself.

What happened? The ever-late crop science journal was the immovable object, but I was the irresistible force. As the cover image of the August 2005 issue implies, my ally in the making the impossible happen was the personal computer, specifically Microsoft Windows and Word XP, later moving on to Word 2003. I made this high-end word processing software created by Bill Gates as my desktop publishing program of choice. Why? Because I knew Word 2003 in and out, and I knew technical editing and journal publishing in and out, and I knew that the software and the science on paper would match, perfectly.

And that made all the difference. And so the Philippine Journal of Crop Science became up to date on May 2006; in fact, it was at the same time 1 year in advance (see related story, 'We are the most advanced knowledge base in crops in the whole science world,' this blog. I'm not the Editor anymore as I write this; perhaps they have forgotten me, but I have the unforgettable experience of updating a whole technical journal where everyone else in CSSP failed in the last 30 years.

Crop science & rice terraces
Crop science is like the rice terraces of Northern Luzon: beautiful, ascending toward the sky. But like the rice terraces, you have to take care of it; you don't allow the dams to overflow with water; you do not want the dams to break; you have to attend to the crop; you cannot forget the water; you have to select your variety and not forget tradition. Modern technology is knowledge; tradition is age-old wisdom. - Revised 22 June 2006 And don't forget the people. Revised 06 July 2006

We are the most advanced
knowledge base in crops
in the whole science world

In knowledge management, we have just set one for the Guinness Book Of World Records. Here’s to the most advanced crop science knowledge base in all the world! Today, 6 May 2006, with Frank A Hilario as Editor in Chief, the December 2006 issue of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science comes off-the-press and we are physically now one-year ahead of schedule, as the next issue is April 2007. That forthcoming issue, to come out by July 2006, we plan to double the number of pages. After all, we have all the time in the world.

In fact, we are ahead more than physically or chronologically. We are modern in these other ways: (a) CROPScience Philippines is free to browse and easy to copy from. The pages are uncluttered. (b) It is easy to browse – no complicated commands, no ‘next page’ or ‘continued’ and no restricted pages. (c) It offers extended abstracts, not simply abstracts. You find more content. (d) The editorials offer advice on policy intended to improve the relevance and creativity in crop science. (e) Surprise! While it cannot be shown here, the Philippine Journal of Crop Science is the only technical journal in the world that is desktop-published using Microsoft Word XP. That means we have advanced the rank of Word XP beyond being a word processor. That was my idea. Since 2003, when I took over as Editor in Chief at the time when the journal was 3 years late, all the pages of the journal issues with me as Editor have been digitized. PageMaker is great and Microsoft Publisher is good, but I prefer Word XP, thank you. With it, I can kern, column, import photos. I can paste and drag tables, figures, photos, whatever within a page or across pages. In other words, I have made Word XP the first, middle and last miles in desktop publishing: first mile (for typing), middle mile (assembling from different software), and last mile (camera-ready). This is reinventing desktop publishing. Incidentally, CROPScience Philippines is also reinventing the blog.

2006 December Vol 31 no 3

Vol31n03p01-02. Frank A Hilario. CropScience Philippines: A Knowledge Bank, Ahead

With this issue of the journal, we are finished with the publishing work for the whole year 2006, all of 3 issues. This is under the presidency of Dr Norvie L Manigbas. The groundwork for this achievement was the fact that we made a 13-issue-late journal up-to-date under the presidency of Dr Edilberto D Redoña, which was a redemption of sort. The redemptive struggle began earnestly in 2003 when Dr Conrado H Balatero appointed me as Editor in Chief, and reached fever pitch in early 2005. Previous to the current issue, we submitted the last of 3 up-to-date issues of the journal to the Information Science Institute (ISI) based in Pennsylvania for ISI accreditation as a world-class technical publication. From thereon, preliminarily, we have talked about doubling the number of pages from 60, or to at least 100 pages beginning the next issue, April 2007, for which we will begin work this May 2006, a full year ahead of scheduled release. We are thinking of access to the max.

Now, Access

To me, neither software nor hardware nor infrastructure but the reality of access is the last mile in knowledge management; access is the final connectivity. On my own initiative, in February 2006, I uploaded a knowledge bank based on papers published in this journal from March 1976 to April 2006, From Jan 2003 to Dec 2005, with typing by my student assistants Perla, Joyce Ann & Sandra, I had made extended abstracts of articles in PJCS; today, you have them all in this one little website: http://cropsciencephilippines.blogspot.com/ that which you can access using Google or Yahoo wherever you are in the world, for some background information, theories, findings, recommendations, even policy. Or simply browse. I call it CropScience Philippines, a Trojan Horse to trust with its gift of knowledge. That’s technical access.

A good next project would be popular access. All that science will have to be translated into clear, concise, comprehensive and coherent decision-application options knowledge users can use off-the-shelf – meaning in the language they understand, first of all English, since it will be the definitive source of translations. It will be another first in knowledge management.

Now, Quality

So, we have been able to speed up the publishing process and surmount the obstacle of the inertia of the years. We were behind by 3 years (9 issues); if you add the 3 issues neglected for the year while you are going after the late issues, that makes 12 issues late. What we did was speed up the review, editing and desktop publishing phases – in order to hasten the publishing process. Running 7 months ahead of schedule now, we can focus more of our efforts on quality, from the review to the camera-ready phase.

Quality papers

The issue of quality really begins with the manuscript submitted. High quality calls for relevant and up-to-date literature review as well as universality of the application of the conclusions, with the implications or recommendations of authors resulting from their own interpretation of the data analyzed and information sifted after their investigation.

Quality reviews

To hasten the routine part of the review of each paper submitted for publication, which is putting in an expert’s opinion on the whole and specific parts of a manuscript, among other things I’m thinking of requiring reviewers or critics to work with Microsoft Word for its Track Changes feature. If you know how to type, you can easily learn to use Track Changes.

Quality editing

I would expect no less focus on quality from the Editor in Chief, and that in the meantime would be me. Higher quality editing would require catching, for instance, the failure of an author to relate the results of a study with the very objectives of such a study, the listing of conclusions not based on the findings themselves, or recommendations not based on any conclusions made in the paper itself. Quality editing would also require that the Editor require authors to submit high-quality illustrations to ensure high-quality printing results.

Now, Coverage

There are quite a few areas that have been hardly covered in the entire 30 years of this journal. Here are some of those fields:

Communication

Communication is essentially the exchange of thoughts, messages or information (American Heritage Dictionary); when such an exchange has the objective of encouraging development, at the University of the Philippines Los Baños it is referred to as ‘development communication.’ I expect to receive in the future papers on the innovative use of communication media, for instance, not the least of which is the Internet.

Extension

‘Extension’ is increasing either the area, influence or operation of something, in this case, technology (hardware or software or both). Extension work in the Philippines is the area of responsibility of the Agriculture Technology Institute under the Department of Agriculture. Theoretical and experimental knowledge should be equally or complementarily disseminated in the language that target users of knowledge are adept at: Tagalog for the Tagalogs, Cebuano for the Cebuanos, Ilocano for the Ilocanos and so on. The original language should of course be English because this language is the richest one in the world, especially when it comes to literature and science.

Management

One of the most neglected areas of research, and hence of reportage, is management. The classic definition of management is that it consists of 4 phases: planning, leading, organizing, controlling. In the entire 30 years of publishing papers, this journal has never ever printed a study or report on management. There is of course what is called ‘integrated pest management’ but what I mean here is much bigger than that – it is management of the whole farm, not merely any single if a most significant aspect of it, not to mention a village.

Marketing

Marketing is still another neglected field in crop research and development (R&D) work. A crop produce is useless unless it is sold, bartered, or traded for what it is worth; and a producer is unfulfilled if the rewards of his labor go to others more than to him. Successful marketing does not only consider price; it considers the product itself, the place or positioning, and the promotion that may be needed to push the product. The marketing mix is what is crucial in targeting consumers. If the marketing is less than successful, the production is less than satisfying. R&D scientists have work to do.

Teaching

Based on personal knowledge and my own readings for the last 30 years, teaching is one of the most neglected R&D areas. This is puzzling because if the teacher has not taught, the student has not learned. Education is so crucial that there are probably a hundred theories covering either teaching or learning or both (for the list and the links, visit http://www.emtech.net/ for one). The list includes BF Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning, Bloom’s taxonomy; I shall add to that list Gardner’s multiple intelligences, De Bono’s lateral thinking, and Dillenbourg & Schneider collaborative learning & the Internet, not to mention the old dialogues of Plato.

I sincerely believe that teaching is too serious a business to be left to the teachers alone!

Vol31n03p03-20. Canesio D Predo & Herminia A Francisco. Understanding Tree-Growing Decisions Of Smallholder Farmers In Claveria, Northern Mindanao, The Philippines

Uplands are important geographical components of Philippine agriculture. Vast areas of the uplands in the Philippines are covered with grassland vegetation mostly dominated by Imperata cylindrica or cogon since it is well adapted to colonize areas cleared of forest and thrives on infertile soils. The Philippine government has implemented many projects to rehabilitate degraded grasslands and denuded forestlands, with assistance from foreign governments.

The study was conducted in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao, Philippines through interviews with 192 farmers, 86% of whom practiced tree‑based farming systems and the rest cash cropping, corn being the dominant crop. Tobit regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing farmers’ investment decision in tree-based systems. Results revealed that a high relative price variability (timber price vis-à-vis cash crop prices) deters tree planting. Farmers tree-growing decisions also depend on (1) current price levels and forecast price changes, (2) socio-economic characteristics such as household size, age, and education, (3) farm characteristics given by cultivable land-man ratio, and farm size, (4) land tenure, (5) knowledge about tree-based land-use systems, and (6) membership in landcare association. The study recommends that since price risk appears to be the major deterrent to expansion of tree farming, measures to reduce said risk or to improve risk management capability of farmers be adopted, including (a) provision of relevant and timely price information and (b) price risk insurance. The long‑term nature of the investment in trees requires security of land tenure as confirmed by the adoption model. There is a need to continue the information dissemination activities through farmers’ trainings and seminars. Finally, the influence of a landcare association on farmers’ decision to adopt tree-based land-use systems implies the need of this local initiative to be further enhanced and developed.

Vol31n03p21-34. Olivia P Damasco, Judith B Estrella, Leila S Caymo, Teodora O Dizon, Ruel C Rabara, Felipe S dela Cruz, Jr & Evelyn Mae T Mendoza. Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) Resistance In Cultivar ‘Lakatan’ Developed Via Gamma Irradiation Of Shoot Tips

Banana is one of the most important fruit crops in the Philippines both for the domestic and export markets. More than 75% of the banana producers are small-scale farmers engaged in local or domestic production. At present, the industry is beset with problems of low productivity due to pests and diseases and lack of improved cultivars.

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is the most destructive virus disease of banana in the Philippines. Incorporation of resistance to this virus disease by conventional hybridization is not possible due to sterility of most commercial banana cultivars. Instead, gamma irradiation coupled with in vitro technology was explored as a means to develop BBTV resistance. The sensitivity of banana shoot cultures to Cobalt 60 gamma radiation was determined. Irradiated shoot cultures were micropropagated for 3 to 5 cycles and plants regenerated were potted out and evaluated. Plants were indexed for BBTV using symptomatology, ELISA and PCR techniques. A total of 6,012 plants regenerated from irradiated shoot cultures were subjected to artificial BBTV inoculation using the aphid vector Pentalonia nigronervosa. From these plants, 64 putative BBTV resistant lines were selected in the field after 36 months. The selections exhibited varying degrees of resistance, with 26 lines showing no BBTV symptom expression in both irradiated and first-generation sucker plants. The other 38 lines selected exhibited limited symptom expression. Yield and agronomic characteristics of some resistant lines were comparable to non irradiated micropropagated plants. Suckers from these resistant lines were collected; micropropagated and plants are now being evaluated for the second cycle stability of BBTV resistance trait.

Vol31n03p35-47. Danilo S Josue & Teodoro C Mendoza. Productivity & Plant Genetic Diversity In Upland Agroecosystems Of Bondoc Peninsula, The Philippines

Productivity of an agroecosystem represents the net increment in valued product per unit of input measured as annual yield, gross or net. Species diversity is the ratio between the number of species and the ‘importance value’ (number, biomass or productivity) of individuals, and this tends to be low in physically controlled ecosystems and high in biologically uncontrolled ecosystems. Man’s activities more often disrupt stability and affect diversity. The practice of monoculture reduces diversity while the practice of multicropping increases diversity.

A total of 60 belt transects (BTs) representing sampling units were established to determine the productivity and plant diversity status and to establish whether there are relationships between productivity and plant diversity in the various cropping systems at Batabat Sur, Buenavista, Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon Province, the Philippines. Indices of plant diversity (H) and evenness (J) were computed. Productivity indices included biomass, gross income and net income. Factors affecting diversity and productivity were determined using Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis. Plant productivity indicators (biomass (tons/ha/year) and gross monetary value of crops varied significantly across the 60 belt transects (BTs). Highest biomass was obtained in BTs with coconuts + corn intercrop (34 tons/ha) and lowest was in BTs with corn monocrop (12 tons/ha). Number of coconut trees was the only variable found to significantly contribute to biomass yield which was attributed to the natural heavy biomass of a coconut tree. The number of nuts, number of trees, and the weight of corn ears significantly affected the gross monetary value. The equation derived was: Gross Monetary Value = -1373.25 + 17366 Number of nuts + 3357.76 Number of trees + 89.13 Weight of corn ears + 5436.63 (R² = 0.914). The index of diversity was highest in coconut monocropping at H = 1.62, although this was not statistically significantly different from H = 1.57 in coconut + corn intercropping. The lowest index of diversity was obtained in corn monocropping at H = 1.15, but it provided the highest gross monetary value at P 27,560 ha/year and net income of P 6,619 ha/year. Shrubs and weed species comprise the bulk of species diversity in upland agroecosystems but they do not have direct monetary value, which explains the lack of correlation between gross monetary value and species diversity. Also, biomass was not correlated with species diversity H or species evenness J across belt transects, since coconut trees provided the bulk of biomass in the 3 agroecosystems. Intercropping corn with coconut, while it yielded the highest biomass (15.0 tons/ha), had a lower index of diversity than coconut alone. Plant diversity could not be used as an indicator of agroecosystems biomass yield and farm productivity measured as gross monetary value.

Vol31n03p59-60. Rowell S Domingo, Nenita V Desamero, Martha V Chico, Lenie R Pautin, Trinidad C Fernando, Rolando Lazaro, Mary Grace V Mariano & Juliet P Rillon. Exploiting In-vitro Culture Systems For A Wide Rice Gene Pool

The application of in vitro culture in generating genetic variability in crop species has long been recognized. This genetic variation can be exploited to serve as novel gene source for useful traits of desired cultivars, as the variants resulting from induced mutations are initial and precious materials for use in crop improvement.

As in most crops, a successful rice breeding program depends largely on the degree of variability for important traits in the gene pool. In this study, we used different in-vitro culture (IVC) systems, anther (AC), seed (SC) and inflorescence culture (IC), to induce variations in the popular variety IR64. The AC-derived lines from IR64 were subjected to a second round of tissue culture using anthers, mature seeds and young inflorescences as explants. Plants were regenerated from the different tissue-culture systems. Breeding lines were developed from these regenerants through a series of evaluations. Variants for different traits were identified. Variability in plant height, heading date, maturity, tiller production and grain yield were observed. Planting season had its effect on the expression of these traits. Breeding lines taller and shorter, early and late heading/maturing, with more and fewer productive tillers, with higher and lesser grain yields than with seed derived (SD) IR64 were obtained. The extent of genetic variability differed with tissue culture system. In general, IC exhibited the greatest degree of phenotypic variability in most traits followed by AC and SC (IC>AC>SC). The same order applies to the relative proportions of the breeding lines with positive mutations, that is, better performers than SD IR64 in most traits evaluated. The mutations observed are randomly distributed among the genotypes/breeding lines generated from the three IVC systems and their expression was influenced by season. Subjecting IR64 to a second cycle of IVC yielded 82 lines that have either I to R reactions to BLB race 3 or 6, and 24 lines, with either I or R reaction to blast. Further more, 47 lines with moderate tolerance to salt stress were obtained. This has widened the adaptability of IR64. We now have IR64-derived lines which may be cultivated and perform better in salt-stressed areas. Results of this study have demonstrated the potential of the three IVC systems in broadening the rice gene pool, indicating further utilization for a successful rice breeding program.

2006 August Vol 31 no 2

Vol31n02p01-02. Frank A Hilario. The Abaca Republic

Quiz time. Which reusable market bag can hold up to 40 lb of load comprising flour, canned goods, jam jars, vegetables, fruits etcetera, with no sign of giving in and not a single item falling out with the bag just standing there? A handmade abaca market bag, according to one observation (2006, AbundantEarth.com/). Abaca is known as the strongest natural fiber in the world, bar none. Question #2: When he is in his Caribbean home with his family and friends, on which does maverick Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson conduct office with two phones and in his swimming trunk? On an oversized white hammock (Alan Deutschman, October 2004, FastCompany.com/). Now, if it isn’t an abaca hammock, it should be, for safety & beauty: abaca has fibers as long as 9 feet. Sir Richard should know his fibers as well as his Virgin businesses.

You must know your raw materials if you want to do good business. Just like I must master my background materials before I can write a good story or essay; for instance, it took me 1 week to do research and write an article for the American Chronicle on the struggles of Chile and the Philippines, each of which now has a Lady President, in the area of developing the countryside. Of abaca, how can we develop the industry if we continue to ignore much of it?

Abaca Potentials

Instead of a Banana Republic, the Philippines is in fact an Abaca Republic: the abaca originated from the Philippines, and we are the #1 producer in the world. Unlike banana, the abaca is very Filipino; we can be proud of that. But more than that, with my metaphor of Abaca Republic, I am thinking of (moral) fibers being stronger, many different kinds of products being manufactured (different groups of citizens benefited), and the abaca regions enjoying the fruits of their labors (in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao).

In abaca, you can find not only strength and diversity in the products, but also widespread adaptability of the crop, which can grow well where coconuts abound (Rene RC Espino & Cenon S Atienza 2001, FAO.org/). The Philippines is probably the best place to grow abaca; unfortunately, we have largely ignored this comparative advantage. We Filipinos are the first to ignore the economic potentials of our natural resources, like we ignore English, which has become a natural resource too.

Another example of a comparatively untapped crop is coconut. The Philippines is the #1 supplier of coconut in the world – copra mostly, which is hardly processed coconut, which does not extract even the optimum value of this crop. As with the coconut, technology from the inside is what our abaca industry lacks for us to optimize returns from the commodity. The Philippines used to be #1 in the world when it comes to abaca, but not anymore. Technology has overtaken the industry, that is, technology from the outside: synthetic fibers. We are very good in technology transfer but not in technology development for crops that have the best potentials.

Not in the well-known University of the Philippines Los Baños but in less-known Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA, now part of Leyte State University) can we find dedicated scientific efforts at improving the technologies of the abaca industry. While with not quite dramatic results, the concerted efforts of the National Abaca Research Center (NARC) at ViSCA in Baybay, Leyte deserve our commendation for coming out with projects to develop, improve and fabricate devices and tools for village-level processing of abaca fiber for the cottage industries in anywhere in the country. We must also thank the Bureau of Agriculture Research for supporting the R&D program.

Known all over the world as Manila hemp, abaca is an excellent material for marine ropes because of its strength, lightness and water-resistance. However, synthetic fibers have replaced it in the marine market. Today, abaca is used mainly for manufacturing high-quality paper because of its relatively long fibers (up to 9 feet), strength and cellulose content; it is used in the manufacture of specialty papers: tea and coffee bags, sausage casing, electrolytic (condenser) paper, currency notes, cigarette filter, medical/disposal papers, high-quality paper such as for printing Bibles and diplomas, novelty items like a heart box to wrap your gift in. And yes, the best Philippine abaca is so good that it has been approved for use as exterior lining of the class A cars of Daimler-Chrysler, among them the Plymouth and Mercedes-Benz. Dr Werner Muhlhauer, company consultant, told the Inquirer (20 October 2004) that abaca ‘has the same strength as fiberglass, minus the weight.’ Abaca can also be made into slipper chairs, rugs and carpets, fashionable bags. Another potential use is substitute for coniferous pulp in paper products at a ratio of 4 to 1, a great potential, as the world demand for wood pulp is about 50 Mn tons of abaca pulp (2006, DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service).

The Philippines is still the largest producer of Manila hemp. FAO projected for 2005 a global consumption of 85,000 mt of abaca, about 84% of that from the Philippines. In export earnings, that is 7.9% per annum. In the meantime, there is a threat: Ecuador is now exporting to the world 11,000 tons yearly as against our 50,000 tons (WigglesworthFibers.com/). Export volume has grown by 121.4% per year since 1989 (DA-Agribusiness & Marketing Service, PhilOnline.com.ph/). In 2005, abaca export jumped by 18%, with export earnings of US$80 Mn (Money.inq7.net/). A good piece of news is that Celesa, a pulp-making company in Spain, is now developing tie-ups with Philippine suppliers of abaca. The Central Bank of the Philippines has stepped into the picture and advised manufacturers of base paper for the currency to use abaca pulp as component material. For this, the projected additional demand is up to 250 mt of pulp a year. There are 4 abaca pulp companies in the Philippines: 1 in Laguna, 2 in Bicol, and 1 in Mindanao. There are 8 cordage firms in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao with a combined capacity of 21,350 mt per year.

The fibercraft sector is primarily cottage-based, mostly in the countryside, especially in Bicol and the Visayas. It is a major source of livelihood of the womenfolk and out-of-school youth. In Metro Manila, fashionwear and accessories, specialty/novelty items are made from abaca. Some abaca weaves are blended with metallic thread or polyester or have ethnic designs; these are created in Western Visayas, Bicol Region, and in southern Mindanao.

Abaca has also been recognized as ‘a very suitable’ cover crop especially in former monoculture tree plantations (Euronatur, 2002, troz.uni-hohenheim.de/). The #1 abaca producer in the country is Eastern Visayas, with 24,952 mt or 39% of the total. The Bicol Region ranks second with 21,225 mt or 33%, while Mindanao supplies 16,985 mt or 27%. Production has been relatively stable during the past 10 years, averaging 64,205 mt a year.

Abaca Problems

‘Production has been relatively stable during the past 10 years, averaging 64,205 mt a year.’ That means it has become stagnant. That is because the industry has problems (Liwayway M Engle et al 1999, this journal):

(1) Diseases: abaca mosaic and abaca bunchy top.
(2) Low yield.
(3) Low quality of fibers.

There is a third disease: fusarium wilt (GN Bastasa & AA Baliad 2005, this journal).

And there is a fourth problem on top of all those problems: The Philippines is not producing enough abaca fiber to meet the world’s demand! (Angelo S Samonte 2004, ManilaTimes.net/). What that means is that the world cannot have enough of Philippine abaca.

In response, I would expect the Philippine government to help the abaca industry (a) produce more fiber and at the same time (b) solve the major problems of disease and low quality with science and technology. Along with that, I would expect the abaca farmers to benefit the most from our Abaca Republic. The abaca farmers and processors must be given what is appropriate to them as creators of wealth of this country, The Abaca Republic.

Vol31n02p03-14. Feliciano G Sinon & Alberto C Martinez Jr. Development Of A Village-Level Abaca Twisting Machine

Native to the Philippines, abaca is the strongest natural fiber in the world and is manufactured into many world-class handicrafts and clothing materials. Yarn is the basic material used in the production of twines for handicraft, which is the traditional source of income in the Bicol Region, Leyte and other abaca-producing areas of the country. The traditional manual method of knotting and twisting the fiber using the bilyo to form a continuous yarn is tedious, time-consuming, and results in uneven-quality twines. This limits the handicraft processors’ ability to produce more for the local and export markets. Assessment studies were conducted to determine the factors involved in the yarn-making process. The results of these studies were used as the basis for the design of the device. A village-level abaca twisting machine (ATM) was developed at the National Abaca Research Center (NARC), LSU using locally available as well as adapted spare parts. Results of the evaluation showed that the ATM can produce twisted yarns from abaca fiber and bacbac (dried outer part of the leaf sheath) materials with sizes ranging from 1/8” Ø to ½” Ø by changing the combination of gears. Performance evaluation revealed twisting capacities of 360 m/hr for abaca fiber and 220 m/hr for bacbac materials. Comparative evaluation between the ATM and the bilyo in the production of yarn showed that the ATM produced significantly higher output (219.6 m/hr) than the bilyo (167.1 m/hr). Output capacity of the ATM was affected by the skill of the operators as well as the length and uniformity of the raw materials. Acceptability evaluation of the produced bacbac yarn showed no significant difference with the commercially available (bilyo-processed) yarn. Result of the cost and return analysis showed that with abaca fiber, the ATM has a payback period of 0.73 year and a return on investment (ROI) of 138%. With bacbac, the ATM has a payback period of 0.52 year and ROI of 192%. Pilot testing of the ATM revealed the following: it is easy to operate; it is quick and fast; it does not need a long time to master how to operate; it is not stressful to the operator; quality is easy to control; bigger and wider space is not necessary; and the operator can alternately sit down and stand up while working.

Vol31n02p15-21. Teresita H Borromeo. On-Farm Conservation Of Plant Genetic Resources: ‘Genes In The Field’

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are materials including the genetic parts and components that have actual or potential use to humanity in the present and future generations. PGR are a vital element of a nation’s cultural heritage. A complete array of PGR of a crop includes the wild species, weedy relatives, landraces, mutants and products of crop improvement programs like interspecific hybrids, polyploids and elite lines and released varieties. Today all this is being eroded by modern agriculture, including replacement of mixed crop subsistence farming by commercial farming, urbanization and industrial development. The recognition of the importance of PGR to the economy and well-being of the people has triggered a worldwide interest in the collection and conservation of the still-extant genetic diversity. Two general implementations of PGR conservation are: ex situ (off site) and in situ (in place). If on-farm conservation is to form part of the national conservation strategy as a complement to ex situ conservation, then: (a) the benefits derived from crop genetic resources must be enhanced by improving the existing materials on-farm or increasing the demand for the material; (b) the farmers’ access to diversity must be strengthened, the link of the formal (those holding the ex situ collections) and the informal (on-farm) seed supply systems must be strengthened as well; (c) the government should exercise political will to implement its commitment to support farmers’ efforts to conserve genetic resources on-farm through policies like providing marketing channels and other incentives which can encourage farmers to continue to grow traditional varieties and heterogeneous populations; and (d) the government should allot funds to support activities for on-farm conservation.

Vol31n02p23-33. Candido S Damo & Teodoro C Mendoza. Sustainability Of Rice-Cotton Cropping Systems In The Ilocos Region, Northern Philippines

A concept of measuring the sustainability of agriculture was proposed 10 years ago (Gomez et al 1996). Sustainability measurement is necessary to be able to pinpoint the strength and weaknesses of the technology.

The area planted to cotton had reached 35,284 hectares in crop year 1991-1992. Over the years, production not only declined but the total area was drastically reduced to only 4,166 ha by crop year 2001-2002 or a decade later. Many factors could have contributed to the decline. This study was conducted to evaluate the main factors affecting the sustainability of rice-cotton as a farming system using selected sustainability indicators, generate some reference values useful in the evaluation of the cropping system, and identify farming practices that contribute to sustainability. Of the 20 farms devoted to rice-cotton cropping in Luzon, only two farms were rated sustainable and the rest were unsustainable. Sustainable farms exhibited quality soil. These farms had thicker topsoil (25.00-53.33 cm), high levels of OM (2.05-3.62%), available P (30.33-92.33 ppm), exchangeable K (267-378.50 ppm), populations of earthworm (5.67-11.33), bacteria (1.13 x 10⁶ – 1.58 x 10⁶) and fungi (5.0 x 10⁴ – 4.72 – x 10⁵). These soil qualities were translated into high productivity such as systems yield (2.492-5.166 t/ha), net farm income (P14, 586 – P64, 942/ha) and return on investment (153-269%). Sustainable cotton farmers applied animal manures and practiced crop residue recycling and minimum tillage, and applied lesser amounts of inorganic fertilizers, which accounted for the superior soil quality and in turn explain their comparatively lower fertilizer input. Also, they employed cost-reducing techniques of pesticides application such as flower-to-flower spraying in cotton, which reduced pesticides by 15 to 40%. Farms rated sustainable were owned by farmers. Land ownership was identified as the dominant factor that motivated farmers to improve the quality of their soil and in adopting farm management that increased yield, reduced cost of production, thereby obtaining higher net income.

Vol31n02p35-45. RC Joshi, MM Antolin, LV Marquez, UG Duque & LS Sebastian. Predation On Snails & Other Food Sources During Non-Rice Growing Periods By The Philippine Ricefield Rat, Rattus tanezumi Temminck

Some rodent species are specialists when it comes to diet; some species are pests and prefer cereal grains. Little is known about the diet of rodents that live in the ricefield.

Predation preference by the principal rodent pest species, the Philippine ricefield rat, Rattus tanezumi Temminck (formerly known as Rattus rattus mindanensis), for the invasive alien freshwater snail, the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata; native non-pest freshwater snail, Radix quadrasi; and other alternative food resources, was studied at the experimental lowland ricefields of PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, during the rice fallow months. Based on the free-choice field tests, R. tanezumi dined mostly on small snails, and preferred P. canaliculata over R. quadrasi. In contrast, the large-sized P. canaliculata were carried more often by R. tanezumi into their burrows and consumed. Irrespective of the snail species, predation was highest at lower elevations (closer to water source) and almost always at night. It was difficult to establish field preference(s) for milled rice grains either with or without rodenticide, due to the interference by fire ants, Solenopsis germinata and house sparrows, Ploceus philippinus.

Vol31n02p53-59. Fralain M Carandang, Sundar Shanmugasundaram & Azucena L Carpena. Rapid Generation Advancement In Soybeans Using Immature Seeds

It normally takes at least 10 generations before a new improved inbred variety of a self-pollinated crop can be developed and evaluated. About half of this length of time is spent in the extraction of new lines from a heterozygous base population resulting from a cross between two or more varieties that possess the characteristics desired to be combined into the new line. The length of time needed to release a new variety can be shortened by reducing the duration of purification of the progenies the cross or advancement of generations.

In an attempt to shorten the generation length of soybeans through the use of immature seeds and, thus, rapidly advance generations in producing improved inbred varieties of the crop, seeds of three soybean varieties of different maturity groupings were harvested at different ages of 5-day intervals starting at 20 days after flowering (DAF) to 40 DAF. The seeds were subjected to different natural drying durations of 3-day intervals starting at 0 days or no drying to 9 days drying to determine the appropriate age to harvest immature seeds and the duration these seeds should be air-dried under shade to give a good germination percentage. Seed maturity (days after flowering) and drying duration both significantly affected the germination percentage of all varieties, which in general increased significantly with increasing seed maturity up to 30 DAF and drying duration up to 6 days. Highly significant variety x drying duration interaction was observed, with the late maturing variety responding better to longer drying than the earlier maturing. Seed maturity x drying duration was also highly significant. In general, germination was not much affected by seed maturity when the seeds were not dried but significantly increased with increasing seed maturity when first dried for 3 days or longer. There was no variety x seed maturity interaction seen. The best combination to advance generations if germination of at least 80% is desired appears to be 30 DAF seed maturity and 6 days drying duration in all varieties, which means a shortening of the generation length for each variety by 24 days. This would be equivalent to an additional generation that can be completed within a year for all varieties.

2006 April Vol 31 no 1

Vol31n01p01-02. Frank A Hilario. Farmers, Experts, Innovation & The Internet

A hard sell it was at first: It was hard to convince rice farmers of Nueva Ecija to grow hybrid rice. That was at the start of the Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program (HRCP) of the national government. It is quite remarkable to me that the thought the paper of Aurora Corales, KET Barroga, JB Agliam & PS Coloma (“Hybrid Rice Promotion In Nueva Ecija: Strategic Partnerships And Innovative Media” starting page 3) brings to mind is that of a great institution – the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) – was being largely ignored by farmers in Nueva Ecija in its promotion of the growing of hybrid rice. A revelation to me. The headquarters of PhilRice is in the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija, the rice granary of the country; if too many of Nueva Ecija farmers were ignoring hybrid rice, what was wrong? Was it the technology itself? Was it the way the program was being implemented? Or was it the intelligence of the farmers of Nueva Ecija? As the paper tells us, despite extensive government promotion, technology adoption rate was low in the province, meaning that very few Nueva Ecija farmers were convinced to grow hybrid rice. My conclusion is that the mistake they made was to bring the technology from PhilRice to all the farmers simultaneously and not from farmer to farmer. To appreciate my point, if not agree with me, let us do a little study by reviewing Rogers’ most popular paradigm of diffusion of innovation.

Learning From Experts

In his book Diffusion Of Innovations (5th edition, 2003), American innovation guru Everett Rogers sees 5 groups of people reacting differently to a technology being promoted for adoption: 2.5% are innovators, 13.5% early adopters, 34% early majority, 34% late majority, and 16% are laggards. If you plot those numbers, they will show you what is called a ‘normal curve’ – also called the ‘bell-shaped curve’ and ‘Gaussian distribution,’ as it was Carl Friedrich Gauss, a brilliant German mathematician, who discovered many of its properties (Mark Janeba 1999). The Gaussian distribution is the most important and widely used distribution in statistical analysis (Jan Lethen 1996). So, what Rogers did was simply use the Gaussian curve to distribute target adoptors of technology into several groups. Since the Gaussian curve is the ‘normal’ or the most probable curve, Rogers couldn’t miss!

When people talk of ‘hybrid rice,’ they usually refer to the variety called Mestizo. This is one of two hybrid rices developed by the International Rice Research Institute and released in the Philippines, the other one being Magat (Redoña et al 1998).

Corales & group report that in 2002, despite the ‘government’s extensive promotion’ of hybrid rice, ‘adoption rate was low especially among Nueva Ecija farmers.’ So, they conducted a massive promotion campaign comprising financial and market assistances, demo farms, distribution of seeds and milled rice in small packs, a search for top hybrid rice producers, with support from mass media (print, radio, cable TV). Now they report success.

Learning from all that, we can surmise that if there are 100,000 rice farmers in Nueva Ecija, 2,500 are innovators, 13,500 early adoptors, 34,000 early majority, 34,000 late majority, and 16,000 laggards. I’m surprised they did not focus on the innovators who were only 2.5% of the total. Instead, they targeted 100% of the farmers, including the reluctant users and rejectors of innovation.

Learning From Farmers

So, aside from learning from the experts of diffusion of innovation, let us not forget to learn from the farmers themselves. The Technology Promotion Program of PhilRice has noted: ‘Ideally, technology promotion should take off from the village-level technology adaptation’ (PhilRice Online 2005). I take that to mean experts learning from non-experts, meaning the farmers.

Now, how do we learn from the farmers? The gurus of innovation diffusion here and abroad recommend that we ask the technology-conscious farmers (the innovators and early adoptors) to teach other farmers (the majority and the laggards), as a farmer has more credibility than a non-farmer when it comes to farming.

That makes sense. But if you ask me, I prefer to learn from both the experts and the farmers. First, I will take Rogers’ classification of technology users as gospel truth. Then I will go to the farmers and ask them: Why?

Of the innovators, I will ask: Why did you adopt the technology that fast? Of the early adoptors, I will ask: Why did you think twice in adopting the technology? Of the early majority, I will ask: Why did you hesitate in adopting the technology? Of the late majority, I will ask: Why did you ignore the technology? Of the laggards, I will ask: Why did you reject the technology? Different farmers, different questions.

My questions will be open-ended and the answers will be followed by other open-ended questions. My intention is not to embarrass the farmers but to find the whys and the why nots. Then I will plan my campaign for diffusion of innovation based on what they tell me, as well as based on my insights.

For my campaign, I have two choices: (a) massive and (b) selective. If I do a massive promotion campaign, I will use the feedback from the innovators and early adoptors to entice the hesitators and all the rest to test the technology and see for themselves. I will target all the rice farmers of Nueva Ecija. If I do a selective promotion campaign, I will have the experts train the innovators and early adoptors to become the next teachers themselves. Then these farmers will teach the other farmers in demonstration plots not only in Nueva Ecija but all over the country. Farmers will learn from other farmers, and the experts will simply be on call.

I will choose selective promotion. With such a strategy, for media support I will use mostly print and the Internet, along with the cell phone. I will use the Open Academy, otherwise called the Pinoy Farmers’ Internet (check out www.openacademy.ph/), which is an information-communication project of government agencies led by PhilRice (www.philrice.gov.ph/).

It is time more farmers learn to use the Internet to know more – and it is time more experts learn to use the Internet to supply the information needs of more farmers in the form they understand more: popular, ready-to-use, not technical as it is now. First, in English (to get the technical details right), then in translations.

Innovators teaching the laggards and farmers learning from the experts speaking in the language farmers use everyday – that’s the need of the times. If our experts can make that happen, our farmers can become globally competitive. They have to be. Else, what our farmers don’t know can hurt all of us.

Literature Cited
Janeba Mark. 1999, http://www.willamette.edu/
Lethen Jan.1996. Statistics 30X Class Notes, http://www.stat.tamu.edu/
Redoña ED, SS Virmani, FM Malabanan, RS Toledo, LJ Javier, CL Casal, FI Rebuelta, RF Barroga & SR Obien. 1998. Hybrid rice technology in the Philippines: From laboratory to farmers’ fields. Philippine Journal of Crop Science 23(1): 1-11
Rogers Everett M. 2003. Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed). The Free Press. New York. 512 pages

Vol31n010p03-10. Aurora M. Corales , KET Barroga JB Agliam, PS Coloma. Hybrid Rice Promotion In Nueva Ecija: Strategic Partnerships & Innovative Media

Despite the national government’s extensive promotion of the technology through the Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program, data still showed that adoption rate was low especially among Nueva Ecija farmers. Thus, through the project Integrated Area-Based Technology Promotion for Central Luzon, PhilRice intensified its hybrid rice promotion in Nueva Ecija through strategic partnerships and innovative media. The promotion package included an information campaign that started with the rice millers, informing them of the grain qualities and market potential of Mestizo hybrid rice. This resulted in the millers offering a 10- to 20-centavo support price. This was followed by a series of technical briefings with the city government units (LGUs), a civic organization (the Kiwanis Club of Muñoz), and all the Municipal Agriculture Officers (MAOs) of Nueva Ecija, along with the provincial government and the extension office of Central Luzon State University. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist eventually took the lead, with strong support from the Governor, and rallied the different agencies within the province. The innovative media mix included the following: 14 community cable network providers in the area broadcasting videos on hybrid rice technology and testimonies of successful adoptors, a techno-caravan in 32 municipalities, local radio stations airing news on hybrid rice, putting up of congratulatory streamers recognizing high producers, establishment of techno-demos, provision of information materials for 17 Tekno Pinoy Centers, and holding a contest for the highest hybrid rice yield per hectare. The Department of Agrarian Reform-Asian Development Bank (DAR-ADB) and the LGU of the Science City of Muñoz provided financial and market assistances to the project. Small packs of hybrid rice seeds and milled rice were made available for farmers and consumers to test the Mestizo hybrid rice. Thus intensified, hybrid rice promotion in Nueva Ecija resulted in increased level of awareness and adoption of the technology as indicated by an increase in area planted and average yields from 568 ha and 5.7 t/ha in 2002 DS to 8,714 ha and 7.0 t/ha in 2004 DS. It is to be noted that the market linkage is now in place.

Vol31n01p11-28. TC Mendoza& R Samson. Relative Bioenergy Potentials Of Major Agricultural Crop Residues In The Philippines

Four major agricultural by-products (sugarcane bagasse and trash, rice hulls, coconut, and maize cobs) of the Philippines are assessed in terms of their bioenergy potentials, their ease of recovery and retrieval from the field to the site of utilization, and their relative importance in the farm landscape. About 4.5 M tonnes of coconut fronds, 1.5 M tonnes of rice hull,1.17 M tonnes of sugarcane trash and 0.5 M tonnes of corn cobs are estimated to be recoverable. Sugarcane trash residues are better left in the field to increase soil organic matter, reduce fertilizer requirements of sugarcane and increase sugar yields. But in the final year of the ratoon crop, harvesting trash for bioenergy appears economical. Under this scheme, the recoverable trash residue is 391,000 tonnes. About 640,000 tonnes of surplus bagasse (50% moisture) is available from mills that produce raw sugar, but sugar mills with refineries or distillery operations consume the excess bagasse. Thus, in reality, there is no surplus of bagasse. Soil erosion, depletion of the nutrient pool, and loss of soil organic matter are known to occur when the aboveground portions of the plants harvested are taken away. Harvesting of maize stalks for bioenergy development is not a sustainable practice. However, the maize cob is a viable fraction that can be collected. It is widely utilized by small farmers for cooking. Rice straw is abundant in the field but it is high in silica content, has low energy potential, and is high in retrieval costs. This makes it as inferior resource for major bioenergy development. As in sugarcane trash and maize stalks, rice straw is best left in the field to decompose to maintain soil organic matter levels and to enhance N2 fixation during the decomposition process. Mostly, rice hulls are currently being burned, but they can be effectively utilized as bioenergy resource. The two main advantages of using rice hulls are that they have widespread availability and require no prior processing before burning. They are well suited to low grade heating applications such as household cooking or crop drying. The 300 M coconut trees in the Philippines annually produce tremendous amounts of biomass as husk (4.1 M tonnes), shell (1.8 M tonnes), and frond (4.5 M tonnes). The recovery of these residues is labor-intensive, and much more of these materials are available in remote areas. Coconut fronds are good resource for household cooking. As fossil fuel prices continue to rise, rice hulls and coconut fronds are the two most important but underdeveloped biomass resources that could be fully utilized as bioenergy in a relatively short time period. There is comparative advantage in converting marginal soils planted to grain maize into perennial biomass energy plots using Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum).

Vo31n01p29-46. Miguela S Añabesa, Demetrio V Oria, Elda B Esguerra& Merly A Sarcos. Postharvest Behavior & Storage Life of 3 Durian Cultivars With Varying Maturity, Waxing & Temperature

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of maturity, waxing and temperature on the postharvest behavior and storage life of 3 varieties of durian, Duyaya, Nanam and Puyat. Results of the study indicated that fruits harvested as early as 110 and 115 days from anthesis had qualities comparable with fruits harvested at full maturity. Differing total reducing sugars (TRS) ratings were obtained from fruits harvested at 110 days (7.41%), 115 days (10.15%) and 120 days (17.63%) upon ripening. Total soluble solids (TSS) content of fruits at 105 to 115 DFA were comparable (28-290Brix) to that at the ripe stage and increased to 32°Brix upon reaching 120 DFA. Titratable acidity (TA) values of fruits at 110, 115 and 120 days were comparable and ranged from 0.27% (120 DFA) to 0.31% (110 DFA). Both Duyaya and Puyat harvested at 115 to 120 DFA were highly preferred by the taste panelists. Waxing durian fruits resulted in lower weight loss of 11.36% and increased shelf-life by 8 days from ripening. Waxed fruits were highly preferred and had an intense yellow coloration of pulp. Waxing did not impart any off-odor and the characteristic durian aroma was highly perceptible through the wax. On the third month of storage, holding the minimally processed durian at -10°C had the highest TSS of 23.560Brix. This had also extended shelf-life by a period of 3 months.

Vol31n01p47-60. Nida Q Abrogena, Bethzaida M Catudan, Reynaldo C Castro, Leah May C dela Cruz & Alma C Aguinaldo. Economic Benefits and Production Efficiencies of Palayamanan in Northwest Luzon

After three years of project implementation, it has become necessary to quantify the impact of Palayamanan in Northwest Luzon in terms of yield, cost efficiency and profitability. Eleven of the 18 project sites were included in the analysis. Production data from WS 2002 to DS 2004 were analyzed. The farmer partners (FPs) in all the study sites attained a rice yield advantage of 14 to 170% over the farmers in adjacent farms (AFs) during the wet seasons of 2002 and 2003. A similar trend occurred during the dry seasons of 2003 and 2004. The FPs spent about P2.90 to P5.63 to produce a kg of WS rice against the P4.43 to P7.52 by the farmers in the AFs. Similar results happened during the DS. Rice production for both seasons provided a maximum income to the FPs of more than P40,000 per ha. The local counterparts earned a maximum income of just above P20,000. The FPs who planted other crops during the DS were able to increase their net income during the two-year study period because of crop intensification and diversification. Based on the results of the analysis, Palayamanan as a concept is able to improve the production efficiencies of its FPs through the introduction of yield-increasing and cost-reducing technologies.

2005 vol 30 no 3

V30n03-p01-02. Frank A Hilario Editor . 2005. To learn from the Folk High School of Denmark

One of the most successful innovations in farmer education apparently is the Farmer Field School (ffs), which is a project supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (fao) in many countries in Asia. The ffs is a growing season-long hands-on educational experience for different farmers to learn the same lessons in integrated pest management (ipm), which is basically an alternative to chemical-dependent modern agriculture. The ffs started with the International Rice Research Institute (irri) in 1978, with interdisciplinary research generating these ffs basic principles: group training, simplified curriculum, good-quality instruction, class experiments, and follow-ups (Matteson 2000). An ipm-practicing farmer applies chemical fertilizers and sprays pesticides only as last resorts and not as first choice. In this issue, Teotimo M Aganon & company report (starting page 3) on farmers adopting grafted-tomato (gt) technology after attending an ffs. Grafted tomato is rainy-season tomato, enabling the farmer to produce off-season and take advantage of the low supply in the market. gt technology is a new application of the ffs, a successful innovation on an innovation. Nonetheless, I know of a study wherein ffs has been ineffective in changing farmer attitudes and, consequently, their practices based on modern chemical agriculture (Herdradjat Natawidjaja 2003). Teaching farmers is adult education. Whether in youth or adult education, attitude comes first.

Changing Attitudes

To be sure, in Denmark adult education begins with changing attitudes. This can be seen in the way the Danish Folk High School (fhs) is being run and in the very concept of the school originated 161 years ago by Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig who was poet and clergyman (Slumstrup 1985), politician and prophet (Dam 1985). We can learn from the country that has given birth to the great minds of Soren Kierkegaard (who helped shape existentialist philosophy), Hans Christian Andersen (who invented modern fairy tales), and Jorn Utzon (who designed the Sydney Opera House).

Denmark is a country whose land area is 7 times smaller than that of the Philippines (43,094 km compared to 300,000 km) but whose statistics are better than ours: the literacy rate is higher (99% compared to 96%), the population growth rate is 5 times lower (0.35% compared to 1.88%), the national budget is almost 6 times bigger ($58 B compared to $10 B), and the gross domestic product per capita is almost 33 times bigger ($32,180 compared to $980). But don’t look at the figures; you can’t see true greatness in the figures, because that’s just economics, because life above all is not economics: what matters is love of country. Love of the people by the people for the people. A lesson we have yet to learn as a people. The Danes love the Danes. And this is seen in the very nature and inner and outer workings of the educational system the Danish people have invented: the Folk High School.

Changing Methods

It is time we learned from the folks who masterminded the fhs, an idea that has spread to other Nordic countries, to Europe, to the United States. Founding the first Folk High School in 7 November 1844, Grundtvig saw it as the answer to his own question: How could the Danish people, especially the peasants, be given a chance for a meaningful education, to harness ‘their spiritual strength?’ (Slumstrup 1985). What was needed was a pedagogical innovation, a new way of teaching/learning. It helped that in Europe on a study trip before this, Grundtvig had found a vigorous interaction between teachers and students inside class and a warm comradeship between them outside class.

A good summary of the educational process that happens in a Folk High School can be seen in these words from Slumstrup (1985): ‘Grundtvig’s brilliant ideas … were almost anarchistic in their boundless confidence in the ability of the ordinary human being to govern himself and work towards the common good when placed in a loving and stimulating milieu.’

That is to say, one, anyone can attend the Folk High School; two, the student learns to be self-reliant; three, he is led towards the goal of working for the common good; and four, the environment of teaching/learning is one of love and inspiration.

We can learn from all these and more from the Danish Folk High School (Dam 1985, Hojlund 1985, Kelstrup 1985, Slumstrup 1985):

The student learns through actual experience.

The task of the school is neither to teach a student to master a subject nor to teach ideology. The curriculum is not geared towards a specific vocation.

The student comes voluntarily and pays for his stay. He has complete freedom to choose his subjects: poetry, theatre, problems of developing countries, weaving, art history, alternative types of society etc.

Students are more important than teachers. And so it is the students who interrogate the teachers.

Through history and poetry, the students learn that they are part of something bigger: the Danish People. Here is a general school system ‘which aims mainly at developing the intellect’ (Kelstrup 1985).

One can learn to discover new resources both in the country and in the spiritual life. One must learn to make more use of one’s abilities.

The Folk High School stands in sharp contrast with the common individual school: one emphasizes the people (community) and the other emphasizes the person (individual). ‘The most fundamental question behind the start of the Folk High Schools in the last century was not what should happen with the individual but what should become of the Danish people’ (Hojlund 1985).

Each Folk High School has academic freedom, enjoying ‘its individuality and freedom of personal expression’ (Dam 1985).

In the final analysis, the goal of the Folk High School is to integrate the creative (arts) and the critical (sciences) subjects ‘so one counteracts the specialization, alienation and schism of the mind (soul) which the technocratic society of today brings about’ (Marsfen 1985). Interestingly, such integration is what up Los Baños has been designed to bring about in every student and yet has failed, as criticism is favored over creativity even in the arts. I should know; I am a graduate of this University and I’ve been around here too long. In contrast, what happens to graduates of Folk High Schools is the ‘release of creative fantasy and insight (that) can result in intuitiveness and creativity in other spheres of life’ (Marsfen 1985).

Creative thinking must be a huge part in college education as it must be in adult education. In creative thinking, the student or farmer takes active part in the creation of his own life and surroundings. Says Slipsager (1985): ‘Democracy cannot be taught: it must be lived.’ Paraphrasing, I say, ‘Creativity cannot be taught; it must be lived.’ In school, in the farm, in life.

Literature Cited

Dam Poul. 1985. A ‘typical’ Danish Folk High School. In Andresen Arne (ed), The Danish Folk High School Today (A description of residential adult education in Denmark). 39 pages (brochure)
Herdradjat Natawidjaja. 2003. Effects of mango (Mangifera indica L.) integrated pest management farmer field school on mango production in Guimaras Island, Philippines. PhD dissertation, up Los Baños, College, Laguna
Hojlund Niels. 1985. Three current approaches to the Folk High School. In Andresen Arne (ed), The Danish Folk High School Today (A description of residential adult education in Denmark). 39 pages (brochure)
Kelstrup Hans. 1985. Three current approaches to the Folk High School. In Andresen Arne (ed), The Danish Folk High School Today (A description of residential adult education in Denmark). 39 pages (brochure)
Marsfen Hedda. 1985. Three current approaches to the Folk High School. In Andresen Arne (ed), The Danish Folk High School Today (A description of residential adult education in Denmark). 39 pages (brochure)
Matteson PC. 2000, Insect pest management in tropical Asian irrigated rice. Annual Review of Entomology 45: 549-574
Slumstrup Finn. 1985. A brief historical introduction. In Andresen Arne (ed), The Danish Folk High School Today (A description of residential adult education in Denmark). 39 pages (brochure)

V30n03p03-11. Teotimo M Aganon, Clarita P Aganon, Aurea C Roxas, Eduardo G Marzan & Rolando V Pagaduan. 2005. Farmers’ Field School: A new medium for disseminating the new grafted-tomato technology for off-season production

Tomato production in the country is generally a hit or miss enterprise and is fully dependent on climatic conditions. This is because tomato production is concentrated during the dry months, the resulting supply causing a market glut from December to May and almost sky-high prices during wet-hot months. Seasonality occurs because current tomato varieties are not tolerant to stresses of flooding and bacterial wilt. A package of technology comprising heat-tolerant, grafted tomato varieties grown in a rain shelter was developed at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Taiwan and fine-tuned at CLSU and validated in different farmers’ fields in Central Luzon. The technology package is capable of producing a good harvest of tomato even during wet-hot months. Being new, the technology package has been confronted with skepticism from farmers and even agricultural technicians. To speed up adoption and dissemination, it is necessary to convince the technicians of the utility of the technology so that they in turn can convince farmers and entrepreneurs. For the purpose, agricultural technicians (ATs) attended a Farmers’ Field School (FFS) as trainers to learn and appreciate the FFS as an extension approach to enhance adoption and dissemination of the GT technology. Subsequently, farmers attended the FFS conducted by the trainers. Later, it was observed that the number of GT adopters as well as the volume of tomato production increased. This can be largely attributed to farmers’ exposure to the technology during the FFS, where they observed firsthand GT success. The improved dissemination of GT technology can also attributed to improved commitment among state colleges and universities, local government units, and the Department of Agriculture.

V30n03p13-21. Analen M Dela Rosa, Cheryl C Adeya, Jose E Hernandez, Manuel M Gaspar & Tomas M Masajo. 2005. Agro-morphological characterization & purity assessment of Mestizo rice (Psb Rc72h) from different seed sources

Twenty nine Mestizo hybrids produced during the 2003 dry season by PhilRice, different seed growers and cooperatives and SL Agritech were compared morphologically to Mestizo produced by IRRI. Experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with 4 replications and plot size of 6 m. Agro-morphological data were collected at different growth stages, and purity of the samples was assessed. Analysis of variance showed no significant differences among entries in terms of leaf length and width, culm length, tiller number, panicle length, grain length and width, 1000-grain weight, number of spikelets per panicle, and grain yield. Morphologically the same with Mestizo 1 produced by IRRI were the 29 entries in traits like color of blade, basal leafsheath, collar, ligule, auricle, apiculus, seed coat, and sterile lemma; leaf angle, blade and lemma-palea pubescence; leaf angle; panicle and endosperm types, secondary branching, and grain scent. The differences were observed in terms of panicle exsertion, stigma and node color, awning, spikelet fertility and flagleaf angle, and these could be attributed to off-types present in samples. Generally, results showed that Mestizo 1 test samples were identical to the hybrid produced by IRRI. Purity evaluation of the different entries showed that IR58025A was the most common mixture in the samples, indicating the presence of IR58025B during AxR F₁ seed production. Other off-types were IR58025B and some inbreds. Extent of purity in the entries evaluated ranged from 68.6% to 94.2%. To avoid mechanical mixtures resulting in seed stock impurity, recommended procedures and quality checks at all stages of hybrid rice production from seed soaking to harvesting and post-harvest handling should strictly be followed.

V30n03p23–30. Jatinder Kaur, Rita P Laude, Merlyn S Mendioro, Eugene M Castillo, Jose E Hernandez & Swapan K Datta.. 2005. Production and molecular characterization of herbicide-resistant transgenic rice

The delivery and integration of herbicide resistant gene (bar) into Indica and Japonica cultivars of Oryza sativa was done using biolistic transformation method. One Indica (PR 106) and one Japonica (Taipei 309) cultivar was used for particle bombardment. Both cultivars responded well on MS medium with 2,4-D (2 mg/L), casein hydrolysate (500 mg/L) and maltose (30 mg/L) used for callus induction from immature embryos and mature seeds. Different explants used in a series of bombardment experiments. The explants were calli derived from cultured anthers, mature seeds and immature embryos. The calli from mature seeds were found to be the excellent explant for particle bombardment with plasmid pUBA. Taipei 309 showed better regeneration efficiency than PR 106. Phosphinothricin (PPT) was used as a selectable marker for bar to select herbicide-resistant calli on the media. PPT @2.5 mg/L was found sufficient to select putative embryogenic herbicide resistant calli in six cycles of selection. Five out of 26 plants of Taipei 309 were found to be herbicide resistant. Southern hybridization revealed the integration of bar gene into these lines. Three plants of PR 106 were also found PCR positive for bar gene. Phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) assay confirmed the protein activity in Taipei 309 and PR`106 lines. Using leaf pasting assay, leaf tips of all the putative transformants of Taipei 309 and PR 106 were used for rapid screening for resistance to the herbicide Basta. This method was found more rapid for screening putative transformants than molecular and biochemical analyses.

V30n03p31-35. Cynthia N Paet-Lopez, Herbert Z Manaois & Theodore-Franklin A Amasol. 2005. In-Vitro Determination of the antibacterial properties of 4 guava genotypes

The efficacy of leaf decoctions from four guava genotypes against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli was evaluated. The guava genotypes, namely guapple, red guava, native guava and oblong guava were identified based on their leaf and fruit characteristics. The antibacterial activity of the decoctions were tested and compared with a control antibiotic, Amoxicillin, using disc diffusion method. Significant differences in the inhibition zones were observed among the four guava cultivars and Amoxicillin depending on type of bacteria. Among the leaf decoctions, the highest zone of inhibition was exhibited in guapple and red guava against S. pyogenes; red guava and medium-sized guava against S. aureus; and native guava against E. coli. Using the performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility test for Amoxicillin as reference, S. pyogenes is rated susceptible to guapple, red guava and native guava but moderately susceptible to oblong guava. S. aureus is susceptible to red guava and oblong guava but resistant to guapple and native guava. E. coli has intermediate susceptibility to native guava and resistant to the other cultivars. These results imply that genotype affects the antimicrobial property of guava. The red guava is best used in ailments where S. aureus and S. pyogenes are the etiological causes. Thus, the red guava leaf decoction is more promising as a cheaper substitute for Amoxicillin, and doubly so since Amoxicillin has been recommended by WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF as prophylactic treatment for children with HIV. The native guava may be used in cases where E. coli is implicated.

V30n03p37-51. Marianne I Samson, Eufrocino V Laureles, Wenceslao M Larazo, Hermenegildo C Gines & Roland J Buresh. 2005. Benefits of Real-Time N Fertilizer Management Within 4 Years In 2 Long-Term Experiments (IRRI & PhilRice)

Long-Term Fertility Experiments (LTFE) began at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1964 and at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in 1968 to assess the effect of intensive double rice cropping on yield, productivity, and sustainability of rice production. The increasing cost of N fertilizer and concern for the environment led to the investigation of real-time N fertilizer management as a strategy for efficient use of fertilizer N. In real-time N management, the color of the rice leaf is monitored at 7- to 10-day intervals using a leaf color chart (LCC), and N is applied whenever leaf color is more yellowish green than the critical value on the LCC. We report the effects of real-time N management on yield, fertilizer use, and sheath blight at both locations from 2001 to 2004. Real-time N management in the dry season (DS) reduced N fertilizer use by 45 to 80% compared to conventional N management with a fixed seasonal N rate of 210 kg N/ha, while achieving comparable or higher yields of 6 to 8 tons/ha. The seasonal rate of 210 kg N/ha, which has been used since the early 1990s, was selected to ensure sufficient N to achieve 9 tons/ha, but climate limited attainment of this yield target in nearly all years. Real-time N management in the wet season (WS) resulted in N inputs ranging from 88 to 113% of the conventional N management with fixed seasonal rate of 80 kg N/ha, although similar yields were produced. The agronomic efficiency of N fertilizer with real-time management in the DS was 19 to 49 kg increase in grain/kg N fertilizer while it was 12 to 22 kg/kg with conventional N management. In the WS, the agronomic efficiency with real-time management was 18 to 38 kg/kg while it was 12 to 30 kg/kg for the 80 kg N/ha rate. Real-time N fertilizer management can increase N use efficiency and maintain or increase yields. Results of the study support a fertilizer N management practice developed for site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) in the Philippines.

V30n03p55-60. CA Lantican & TC Mendoza. 2005. How sugarcane planters evaluate and decide on variety

This study was conducted in the mill district of Central Azucarrera de Don Pedro (CADP), Nasugbu, Batangas, from May to August of 2003 to determine how the planters evaluate and decide on what sugarcane variety to grow. Planters’ decision on variety was found to be mainly influenced by what their fellow planters were currently raising. Phil 7544, given the local name Pampanga, was observed to be the dominant variety used in the province. It had performed well under Batangas conditions and covered nearly 70% of sugarcane fields in the area during the study period. Interestingly, Phil 744 had been CADP planters favored varieties that were in popular use. Newly released and recommended hybrids take longer to be accepted since the CADP planters themselves who can afford test these new varieties before replacing their dominant variety. This raises two points: (a) that in the search for new improved crops, breeding and selection must always go together, and (b) that sugarcane scientists can best do the breeding while sugarcane planters can best do the selection. We recommend that the findings be taken positively by sugarcane breeding institutions because any adaptability data recorded in an earlier ecological test with new and recommended varieties need still to be validated in planters’ fields in terms of yield stability across years of planting, particularly the ratoon performance of the variety. Planters weigh the risk of planting a variety they have not tested themselves as well as the cost of establishing a new crop, since under Batangas conditions this could reach P 20,500/ha. CADP planters gave a much lower rating to variety (15%) than to fertilizer (58%) and cultivation (19%) as a factor contributing to yield. Fertilizer was given the highest rating because without it, yields would be very low considering the low nutrient-supplying capacity of their soils that have been grown to sugarcane over long periods of time. Variety was given lower ratings. This is attributable to the way varieties are being used. Farm operations do not stop even if a variety is lost as they can request cuttings from their fellow planters or their Mill District Development Coordinator.