Conference papers

Popular medicinal herbs with health benefits

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Popular medicinal herbs with health benefits Palada, Manuel C. Recently, three medicinal plants (herbs) attracted the attention of the population globally because of the medicinal value and health benefits these plants provide when use following recommended and suggested information. These plants are Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei), Insulin plant (Costus igneus), and Serpentina (Rauvolfia serpentina). Conference paper

Vertical farming system: A farming innovation for a limited area of land

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Vertical farming system: A farming innovation for a limited area of land Cabarles, Jaime C. Jr. The farming of today is faced with numbers of issues. These are about availability and cost of land, finding the farm hand, higher cost of production inputs, changes in climatic conditions, fluctuating prices of agricultural commodities, the category of packages of technology to be adopted, and age of agripreneur. The term agripreneur refer to the person who invested in agriculture with the goal of producing animals, crops, or both intended for market. These are the farmers who are investing their money and aiming for a profit in return. They are not a typical farmer who considers their undertaking more on the “way of life rather than integrating business on it.” The Philippine market is confronted with the availability and price of rice. A suggested retail price is implemented to control the prevailing rate in the market. Aside from the so-called hoarding of rice grain, the other issues can be pointed out into the economic development. The rapid development in the city is expanding towards nearby municipalities. This development can be classified into commercial, residential, and industrial. However, the first-two classes dominated that converted more extensive areas of prime land into subdivisions and later on emerges the malls in the proximity. With such development, these lands producing hundreds of sack of rice were all gone with the snap of fingers. It led to the movement of farming from highly productive to idle and somewhat low productivity lands which significantly affect the supply of rice in the market. Conference paper

Recycling potentials of biomass wastes into briquettes: The case of UCLA in Iloilo City, Philippines

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Recycling potentials of biomass wastes into briquettes: The case of UCLA in Iloilo City, Philippines Romallosa, Aries Roda D. The study relates to the recycling potentials of utilizing biomass wastes obtained from the municipal waste streams by converting them into high quality briquettes. Using a developed compact briquetting machine, the waste materials were compressed into a product of higher bulk density, lower moisture content and uniform size, shape and material properties that can be utilized as fuel just like the use of wood or charcoal. The study has shown that the simulated briquette production field-tested by members of Uswag Calajunan Livelihood Association, Inc. (UCLA), a group of informal sectors in Iloilo City, Philippines could lead to a feasible on-site recycling of wastes. Three briquette types were produced using the combination of waste paper, sawdust and carbonized rice husk (CRH) with each type produced for 5 consecutive days. Results revealed that converting biomass into briquettes can allow one person per machine per day to recycle approximately 24 kg of waste paper, 16 kg of sawdust and 8 kg of CRH. If computed based now on the 6 existing available briquetting units in UCLA Center, daily production of briquettes would lead to an estimated utilization of 144 kg of paper, 96 kg of sawdust and 48 kg of CRH. The conversion of 144 kg of waste paper means 63% recycling of the 227 kg paper recovered from Iloilo City's Calajunan Disposal Facility. Utilization of 144 kg waste paper sold at a prevailing rate of Php -1.50/kg (USD - 0.03) would only earn Php -216.00 (USD - 4.91). But when processed and sold as briquettes, it may give an income of Php-480.00 (USD - 10.91) increasing it more than 100 % of its original value. The quality of the three types of briquettes produced slightly varied. Parameters analyzed like bulk density, heating value, moisture, N and S closely met or has met the requirements of DIN 51731. Conference paper

Moringa research and development project at Central Philippine University: Progress, challenges and opportunities

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Moringa research and development project at Central Philippine University: Progress, challenges and opportunities Palada, Manuel C.; Patricio, Hope G. Moringa is a common backyard tree crop in the Philippines and is grown by many home owners as a source of green leafy vegetable. Although moringa is a popular crop, little research studies have been conducted in central Philippines. The College of Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Sciences at Central Philippine University initiated a research project in 2009 to: 1) identify and evaluate promising cultivars of moringa adapted to the growing conditions of Western Visayas and 2) develop improved crop management practices for increasing yield and production. Germplasm collection and evaluation identified promising cultivars with desirable horticultural characteristics from India, Laos, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and USA. From this field evaluation one promising cultivar, 'PKM-1' from India, was grown at four plant densities to determine leaf biomass production as influenced by plant density and harvest frequency. Maximum plant density of 40,000 plants ha^-1 and harvest frequency of 8 week intervals produced a high leaf biomass yield. A separate study was conducted to determine and compare the nutritional quality of Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina. Significant differences in calcium, iron and anti-oxidant activity were found between the species. Moringa oleifera 'PKM-1' contained higher calcium and iron than M. peregrina. Training workshops and seminars were conducted to transfer the technology and educate farmers on the multiple uses and benefits of moringa. The university has established linkages with the World Vegetable Center (Taiwan), Department of Agriculture and local NGOs in promoting moringa as a high-value crop. The university has proposed to organize a regional R&D center for moringa to address the challenges and opportunities facing moringa growers in areas of improved cultivars, seed production and propagation, crop management practices, post-harvest processing and quality, marketing and value chain enhancement. Conference paper