BATAC CITY, Nov. 28, 2013 (PNA) – The research and development program of Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) won another national award when three of its scientific research papers were cited in a recently concluded national research forum in Quezon City.
The forum was conducted by the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) to showcase various scientific researches adopted to increase crop production and income.
The MMMSU – scientific research papers are the following: “Predicting rice yield from multi-temporal satellite data using artificial neural network,” conducted by Nathaniel R. Alibuyog and his co-workers; “Evaluation of light bulbs and the use of foliar fertilizer during off-season production of dragon fruit” by Leonardo T. Pascua and Maura Luisa Gabriel; and “The Pesticidal Activity and Product Formulation of Different Plant Extracts for Organic Vegetable Production in the Ilocos” by Leticia A. Lutap and company.
Alibuyog’s research paper won third place in the technology for generation (TG) category with a cash prize of P50, 000 and a plaque of recognition; while separate certificates of recognition and P10,000 cash prize each were given to the research papers of Pascua and company; and Lutap and company.
Alibuyog’s research paper had something to do with monitoring the growth of rice and forecasting its yield before harvest season. The study, which bears positive result, is very signtificant for crop and food management.
For Pascua’s research, it involves the use of 6-Watt light emitting diode (LED) bulbs to induce dragon cactus to flower during off season months.
Thus, it was proven that dragon cactus plants can be induced to flower if they are provided with supplemental lighting between 10:00 o’clock in the evening until 2:00 o’clock the following morning through the use of LED and compact fluorescent bulbs.
It was found that during the six- month period of study, the dragon plants lighted with 6-Watt LED bulbs gave P86,726 net income, while those lighted with 26-Watt CFL and 100-Watt incandescent bulb (IB) gave P82,421 and P26,647 net income, respectively.
On the other hand, Lutap’s research study revealed an easy way to make pesticides and fungicides from plant extracts for effective control of common insect pests and diseases attacking high value commercial crops.
The extracts used in study were taken from snake weed, yellow ginger, beetle, banana bush, Mexican poppy, lantana, sticky spider flower, aloe vera, garlic wastes, and tibak leaves.
It was confirmed that the extracted substance had elements for effective control on tomato fruit worms, thrips, mites and beetle pests; and diseases like tomato blight, purple blotch and cercospora leaf spot on garlic. (PNA)