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....

A technical and socio-economic feasibility study of biomass briquette production was performed in Iloilo City, Philippines, by integrating a registered group of the informal sector. The study has shown that the simulated ...

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 ...

The local or traditional types of chicken found in the Philippines are not well described and no comprehensive information is available and as yet not described as breeds. Among the regions in the Philippines, Western ...

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 ...

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 ...

In rainfed cropping systems limited water supply is a major constraint for increased crop production during the dry season. The use of affordable drip irrigation systems can increase crop yield, water use efficiency, and labor productivity in dry season vegetable production. Farmer participatory research was conducted in Cambodia during the 2008 dry season to evaluate the performance and benefits of a low-cost drip irrigation system for improving small-scale vegetable production. The effect of integrating improved soil nutrient management through fertilizer deep placement on crop yield and economic returns were determined for selected vegetable crops. Compared with traditional practice of hand-watering, drip irrigation increased yield of chili (Capsicum annuum), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), and eggplant (Solanum melongena) by almost 50%, but reduced average net income by 25%. Drip irrigation decreased water use by 33%, and increased water use efficiency by 63% and labor productivity by 74%. The use of fertilizer deep placement with drip irrigation resulted in higher yield (18%) compared with commercial NPK fertilizer irrespective of irrigation methods. Significant response was shown in yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedales) with 35% yield increase and 50% increase in net income. Under drip irrigation the use of fertilizer deep placement reduced water use by 48%, increased water use efficiency by 70% and labor productivity by 78%. This study demonstrated the potential benefit of low-cost drip irrigation and fertilizer deep placement for improving smallholder vegetable production in Cambodia during the dry season through higher yield, increased water use efficiency, and higher economic returns and labor productivity compared with farmers’ traditional practice of hand-watering and fertilizer application....

The World Vegetable Center has a collection of over 50 moringa accessions, majority of which belong to M. oleifera. The planting of this species in southern Taiwan started some 35 years ago. The World Vegetable Center initiated research on moringa in 2001. A small project was established to introduce and evaluate a number of moringa accessions collected from Asia, Africa and USA. The accessions were evaluated for growth characteristics and horticultural traits, aiming at high leaf production and nutritional value. A total of 50 accessions were collected and from this collection, seeds of 42 accessions representing four species (Moringa oleifera, M. stenopetala, M. drouhardii and M. peregrina) were germinated and transplanted to the field for seed multiplication, characterization and evaluation. Twenty-two accessions produced sufficient seeds for replicated evaluation trials and seed distribution. Ten promising accessions were selected and evaluated in replicated trials over a two-year period. Among those, three accessions showed fresh young shoot yield averaging 20-40 t ha^-1. The effects of leaf type (age), harvest season and variety on nutrient content were investigated as a component of this study. Results showed no significant differences for most nutrient contents among accessions. Mature leaves are more nutritious than young leaves or shoots. Nutrient content varied with harvest season. Calcium, vitamins A and E were higher in hot-wet season in southern Taiwan than during winter, whereas Fe and vitamin C were higher in cool-dry season than in summer. Subsequent field evaluation studies revealed the variability of Moringa accessions in terms of horticultural traits. The accessions varied significantly in plant height, stem diameter, leaf and stem biomass, number of side shoots, tolerance to flooding and survival after heavy rainfall and strong wind brought about by tropical typhoons. Superior and promising accessions are being multiplied to meet the increasing demand for seed and planting materials of moringa. During the last ten years, the World Vegetable Center has distributed moringa germplasm to universities, government organizations, non-governmental organizations and private companies in 15 countries. The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam, Egypt, The Netherlands, and Pakistan were the top recipient countries. Moringa is also distributed in seed kits for home garden projects in Asia and Africa....

A study was conducted to determine and compare the growth characteristics and nutritional quality of M. oleifera and M. peregrina. Three moringa cultivars consisting of two M. oleifera cultivars (‘PKM-1’ and ‘Local’) and one M. peregrina cultivar were evaluated in pot experiments using a randomized complete block design with four replications. Pruning and sampling of leaves for biomass yield and nutritional quality analysis were performed when plants attained a height of 1 m. Young and fully expanded green leaves were sampled for nutritional analysis and biochemical components. Results showed that plant height and number of leaves differed significantly between the three cultivars. ‘PKM-1’ and the ‘Local’ cultivar were taller than M. peregrina, whereas, ‘PKM-1’ and M. peregrina produced a higher number of leaves than the ‘Local’ cultivar. There were no significant differences in the number of side branches among cultivars. Although there were no significant differences in leaf fresh weight among cultivars, M. peregrina and ‘PKM-1’ had a tendency of higher leaf fresh weight than the ‘Local’ cultivar. Both cultivars had significantly higher dry leaf biomass than the ‘Local’ cultivar. Significant differences in calcium, iron and anti-oxidant activity were found between the three cultivars. ‘PKM-1’ contained higher calcium than M. peregrina and the ‘Local’ cultivar. ‘PKM-1’ also contained higher iron than M. peregrina, but not significant compared to the ‘Local’ cultivar. Both ‘PKM-1’ and M. peregrina had significantly higher anti-oxidant activity than the ‘Local’ cultivar. Significant differences were also observed in nitrogen free extract, crude protein and crude fat. Nitrogen free extract content was higher in M. peregrina than in ‘PKM-1’ and ‘Local’ cultivar. The ‘Local’ cultivar contained higher crude fat than ‘PKM-1’ and M. peregrina. This study indicated that moringa cultivars differ in growth characteristics, selected nutritional qualities and biochemical components. Further studies should investigate and determine other nutritional qualities that are not covered including vitamins, amino acids and important anti-oxidants....

The major objective of this study was to evaluate a subset of the AVRDC Moringa oleifera germplasm collection for important horticultural traits in the Philippines and Taiwan. The 18 AVRDC moringa accessions originated from India, Laos, Philippines, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand and USA. Three-month-old seedlings were transplanted onto single-row raised beds spaced 1.5 m apart. Plants were arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. Data were collected on plant height, stem diameter, number of branches, canopy width, fresh and dry biomass (stems and leaves), days to flowering, and pod/seed yield. In Taiwan, one month after transplanting four accessions attained a plant height of above 1 m. Number of side branches ranged from 9 to 14 per plant. Differences in plant height and stem diameter were significant at 70 days after transplanting (DAT). Tallest plants (2.9 m) were observed in LSQUOMo-35RSQUO from Tanzania while LSQUOMo-8RSQUO from Thailand produced the largest stem diameter (36 cm). Leaf fresh weight and dry biomass was highest (15.8 and 9.2 t ha^-1, respectively) for LSQUOMo-35RSQUO at 70 DAT. Survival and stand count decreased after two strong typhoons and severe flooding in 2009 and 2010. In the Philippines, accessions LSQUOMo-2RSQUO (USA) and LSQUOMo-40RSQUO (India) produced the tallest plants 28 weeks after second pruning. Mean stem diameter ranged from 3.5 cm (LSQUOMo-34RSQUO) to 8.5 cm (LSQUOMo-4RSQUO). LSQUOMo-38RSQUO (Thailand) produced the highest number of branches. Two accessions from Thailand (LSQUOMo-4RSQUO and LSQUOMo-14RSQUO) resulted in the highest leaf fresh weight, which exceeded 20 t ha^-1 from two prunings, while LSQUOMo-29RSQUO (India) produced the highest dry leaf biomass. Most accessions tolerated waterlogged conditions with 60-100% plant survival stand count. The results indicate that there are moringa accessions with promising horticultural traits for the high rainfall climate of Southeast Asia....