This study, conducted from July to November 2009, aimed to explore the diversity of large aquatic and terrestrial organisms found in microhabitats along the Jalaur River System on Panay Island, Philippines. We adopted a purposive sampling approach using several collection techniques appropriate to particular taxa or group of taxa. These include the netting method for birds and bats, cruising and transect methods for herpetofauna, gill-net fishing for aquatic vertebrates and quadrat method for macro- invertebrates. Data were analyzed for species richness (S) and relative abundance, and for fish, catch per unit effort (CPUE) and income per unit effort (IPUE). Three areas, representing the upper, middle, and lower portions of the river, served as the sampling sites. The results of the study show that there are at least 106 species of terrestrial vertebrates and about 71 species of aquatic vertebrates and macro-invertebrates in the area. These include 22 endemic species of terrestrial vertebrates, a new Philippine record of the goby Trypauchenopsis intermedia and an undescribed goby of the genus Rhinogobius. Of the 51 species of fish observed in the area, 36 species (70.59%) are known to inhabit marine and brackish water habitats, while 14 species (27.45%) inhabit freshwater. Only one catadromous species of fish, Anguilla marmorata, was observed in the area. The study also identified nine exotic species of fish and two species of freshwater mollusks are harvested in the area. The terrestrial vertebrate species diversity appears to be depauperate....

Environmental policies may have a negative side effect on employment, often in a specific industry in the short run. Workers in regulated industries can be affected by losses in job-specific human capital. The informal ...

Farmers’ enthusiasm in using low-cost drip irrigation as seen at many on-farm research and demonstration sites across Southeast Asia clearly indicates a high potential of the technology to smallholding vegetable growers. ...

This study was conducted to determine the adaptability and describe the horticultural characteristics of Moringa oleifera Lam. accessions under central Philippines conditions. Eighteen Moringa accessions obtained from AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center were evaluated in observational trials at Central Philippine University, Iloilo City, Philippines in 2009. The accessions originated from India (3), Laos (1), Philippines (1), Taiwan (1), Tanzania (1), Thailand (10), and USA (1). Three-month-old seedlings were transplanted in nonreplicated plots at a spacing of 2 m between rows and 1.5 m between plants. Data were recorded on growth and stand survival, plant height, stem diameter, number of branches, fresh leaf yield, pod and seed production, and incidence of insect pests and diseases. Percentage seed germination ranged from 40 to 100%, with eight accessions having 100% and eight accessions 80% germination. Two accessions from Thailand had poor germination (40%). All seeds that germinated developed into healthy seedlings with 80 to 100% survival. At 28 weeks after second pruning, accessions Mo-2 (USA) and Mo-40 (India) produced the tallest plants (5.6 and 5.1 m, respectively), whereas Mo-34 (India) produced the shortest plants (2.9 m). Mean stem diameter ranged from 3.5 cm (Mo-34) to 8.5 cm (Mo4-Thailand). Mo-38 (Thailand) produced the highest number of branches (5.3), whereas Mo-33 (Philippines) showed the lowest number of branches (2.0) per plant. Two accessions from Thailand resulted in the highest leaf fresh weight, which exceeded 2 kg/plant from two prunings. Eight accessions produced leaf fresh biomass that exceeded 1 kg/plant. Mo-3 (Taiwan) developed the highest number of pods, whereas Mo-34 produced the highest number of seeds. Red mites (Tetranychus urticae), Coccinellid beetles (Coccinellidae), leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus) and whiteflies (Bemisia sp.) were present, but caused only minor damage to plants. Stem rot was the only disease observed in a few plants....

The objective of this study was to evaluate growth and yield performance of vegetable soybean (Glycine max) cultivars under organic crop management practices. Four cultivars: Kaohsiung No. 6 (KS 6), Kaohsiung No. 9 (KS 9), Tainan ASVEG No. 2 (TNAV 2), and Japan aromatic flavor variety Cha-mame were grown in spring and fall seasons in organic experimental farm at AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center in 2006-2007. Organic crop management practices consisted of rhizobium seed inoculation, application of balanced solid and liquid organic fertilizer, integrated pest management involving sex pheromone, yellow and blue sticky paper traps, and bio-pesticide sprays (Neem and Bt); and bio-agents (Trichoderma spp., Bacillus subtilis and. Streptomyces spp. for fungal disease management. Yield performance showed that TNAV 2 produced the highest total pod yield, followed by KS 9 and Cha-mame. However, differences were not significant. TNAV 2 matured late whereas Cha-mame matured early. Over three growing seasons, Cha-mame produced the highest graded pod yield, followed by TNAV 2 and KS 9. This study indicates that both vegetable soybean cultivars Cha-mame and TNAV 2 have greater yield potential than other cultivars when produced under organic farming system....

Three recommended mixtures for briquette production were tested by eight identified informal waste workers within a 10-day briquette production test at the Calajunan dumpsite in Iloilo City, Philippines. The test revealed ...

Three approaches have been devised by Central Philippine University (CPU) in utilizing the enormous biomass waste generation in Western Visayas region of the Philippines. These approaches are direct combustion, gasification ...

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a serious and rapidly growing problem not only in the Philippines but in many developing countries. Waste generation and the variety of the waste material mix are increasing especially in ...

The enhancement of professional education in SWM was through the offering of a 1-year post-baccalaureate degree Diploma in Environmental Resource Management and Technologies major in Solid Waste Management. It officially ...

Switching a waste disposal policy from open dumping to sanitary landfilling requires a job change of waste pickers. We conducted a field experiment at Iloilo in the Philippines which offers dumpsite waste pickers a new job ...