FUNGAL pathogens can affect the cultivation of eggplant and tomato, particularly during the wet season.
Infection of foliar diseases such as early blight (Alternaria solani), fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), and leaf molds (Passalora fulva) can result in serious crop loss.
To address the concern affecting the farmers, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) recently organized an inception meeting for the project titled “Development of biofungicide for control of Alternaria solani and other fungal pathogens of tomato and eggplant.”
The two-year project is expected to develop a biofungicide which is a concoction of chitinase and other antifungal compounds that target Alternaria solani and other fungal pathogens of tomato and eggplant.
As reported by private growers in some parts of Laguna and Quezon, there have been manifestations of Alternaria solani in their areas.
Organized by DOST-PCAARRD’s Crops Research Division Monitoring and Evaluation Team for Vegetables, the meeting concluded with the signing and handing over of a Memorandum of Agreement as well as the initial release of project funds.
In a related development, the DOST-PCAARRD shared the fruits of its R&D efforts by joining the recent celebration of the Central Visayas S&T Week which was held in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
Through its exhibits and displays, PCAARRD featured the technologies and information on coffee depulper, biological-based approaches for cacao pest management, enhancing mungbean productivity through carrageenan plant growth promoter, and Itik Pinas.
The village-level coffee depulper is an improved and highly efficient prototype, which can depulp different varieties of coffee berries of varied sizes.
Depulper 1 has a depulping efficiency of 96 percent for small coffee berries and 95 percent for medium coffee berries.
While Depulper 2 for large coffee berries has a depulping efficiency of 91.5 percent.
On the average, the depulping system has a combined capacity of 302.3 kg/hour with pulp separation efficiency of 96 percent and depulping efficiency of 92 percent.
The display on biological-based approaches for cacao pest management aimed to promote research efforts to develop biological-based pest management program for the control of major insect pests and diseases of cacao such as the cacao pod borer, cacao mirid bug, cacao pod rot, and vascular streak disease.
PCAARRD says biological control is a very promising alternative to the more traditional use of chemical pesticides.
Itik Pinas (IP), on the other hand, highlights the three different strains – IP Itim and IP Khaki, which are both purelines, and IP Kayumanggi, which is a crossbreed of the two purelines.
These strains are the first and only Philippine layer duck breeds developed through organized breeding and selection to address the industry problem of low and inconsistent egg production performance and product quality of the traditional mongrel ducks.
Among the benefits of IP include the increased predictability in egg production performance with consistent product quality; increased average egg produced per duck per year from 201 eggs to 266 eggs; and stable supply and accessibility of breeder ducks and duck egg products./PN
