University of the Philippines Los Baños

More than a decade of research paid off! Pest resistant varieties of eggplant developed; ways to lessen use or avoidance of insecticidal spraying found; there was reduced pest population in the field; and eventually, high production yield reached.

Farmers and members of the community residing in the Cambantoc watershed of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve participated in a training seminar conducted by the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources last June 3-4 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Besides coastline protectors, mangrove forests are one of the most promising carbon sequesters, having the highest carbon net productivity among all ecosystems.

The first organic town of the Philippines and the organic farming capital of Rizal province is Baras. Baras townsfolk beam with pride when the town's center for organic products and services was launched to signal its opening last July 13, 2009.

The School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) has taken a proactive role in communicating environmental risks which abound in Mt. Makiling- a dormant volcano and source of landslides when Typhoon Milenyo struck Los Baños in 2006.

With communication technology, soil identification can now be made anytime and anywhere, just by using mobile phones.

Increased yield, as a consequence of reduced bacterial wilt infection made up the results obtained by UPLB researchers using grafting technique in eggplant production.

In a recent study at UP Los Baños, the injection of neonicotenoid pesticides such as thiametoxam, imidachloprid and clothianidin in coconut trunks was found safe and effective in controlling the coconut leaf beetle (Brontispa longgisima).

BIOTECH's Bioremediation Research Team based in UP Los Baños is currently conducting studies to rehabilitate several contaminated sites in the country. These include an abandoned mining site at Mogpog, Marinduque, and bodies of water in Bulacan.

With focus on Jatropa, sweet sorghum, biofuel research and development is fast gaining momentum in the Philippines. Just recently, the quest for diesel fuel from renewable and non-food biodiesel feedstock such as microalgae has gotten a big boost.