R&D project on queen pineapple in CamNorte pushed
In less than a year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)'s Niche Centers in the Region for Research & Development (NICER) Program has initiated the establishment of the Queen Pineapple Research and Development Center in Camarines Norte and has now exceeded more than half of its target on its first year and moving forward.
Queen pineapple in Camarines Norte. Photo courtesy: Dr. Arlene Alegre of Camarines Norte State College
The program is being funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the DOST (DOST-PCAARRD) and it focuses more on the development of farm pest detection, general assessment, and mapping.
The three-year program that kicked off early this year, has already accomplished 64 percent of its work plan including the development of a software phone app for pest detection, classification and crop protection management with farmland pest mapping, and the GPC geo tagging and also includes detection of mealybug wilt associated virus on Queen Pineapple using real-time PCR Assays that can identify virus pathogens associated with mealybug by molecular method in plant disease in the shortest possible time.
Queen pineapple plantation in Camarines Norte
Photo courtesy: Dr. Arlene Alegre of
Camarines Norte State College
Also, part of the work plan is the transfer of viable Queen Pineapple technology and standardization of planting materials that helps enhance high production quality and increase income of farmers as well as the identification of their roles through gender division of labor among small Queen Pineapple farmers.
With these developments toward its first year of implementation, the program is poised on getting the green light for a renewal to continue their projects for 2022. Riding on the momentum, program leader Dr. Arlene C. Alegre of the Camarines Norte State College also expressed high hopes that they will be able to share these research developments and results to farmers as main beneficiaries from possible study sites among municipalities with widely planted Queen Pineapple in San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Basud, Daet and Labo.
This Accelerated Research & Development Program for Capacity Building of Research and Development Institutions and Industrial Competitiveness in Camarines Norte State College (CNSC) is one of the six state universities that builds R&D centers guided by the DOST's Science for Change Program, to which the NICER program is attached to.
Recently, in Malacanan’s Talk to the People, DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña presented the agency’s accomplishment report that included the Queen Pineapple R&D Center along with other flagship programs of DOST.
Incidentally, other technologies, knowledge products, local innovations, and services will be featured in the upcoming 2021 National Science and Technology Week celebration with hashtags #2021NSTW, #ScienceForThePeople, and #DOSTTugonSaHamon slated from 22-28 November 2021, with free access on-line wherever you are in the world!
Just visit the website www.nstw.dost.gov.ph or the NSTW Facebook page! (by Ryan Sebastian Soyosa, DOST-STII)
Screen capture of other NICER programs courtesy of RTVM’s Presidential Communications.
