Biography
Dr. Dinah Marie C. Dayag is a researcher and educator in the field of agriculture, with specialization in soil chemistry, soil fertility, and sustainable crop production systems. She currently serves as an Associate Professor at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), where she also functions as Research Coordinator of the College of Agriculture, Food and Sustainable Development. She joined MMSU in August 2023 after more than two decades of dedicated service at Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC), where she spent 22 years contributing to instruction, research, and institutional development.
Dr. Dayag earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science, major in Soil Chemistry with a minor in Environmental Science, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in 2022. Her doctoral dissertation examined the persistence of bispyribac sodium herbicide in direct wet-seeded rice production systems in Bulacan, Philippines. She also obtained her Master of Science in Soil Science (major in Soil Fertility, minor in Agronomy) in 2005 and her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (major in Soil Science, with specialization in Soil Microbiology) in 2001, both from UPLB.
Her research portfolio focuses on soil health management, aerobic rice production systems, organic agriculture, and the sustainable intensification of rice-based and vegetable cropping systems. She has led and participated in numerous research and development initiatives funded by national and international agencies, including PCAARRD, DA-BAR, IRRI, and ACIAR, aimed at enhancing productivity, resource-use efficiency, and climate resilience in agriculture.
Dr. Dayag has an established record of scholarly publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters. Among her notable works are her lead-authored paper, Aerobic Rice Production Systems (ARPS): Improving Productivity and Profitability in Water-Scarce Areas of Bulacan, published in the Annals of Tropical Research (2015), and her widely cited article, Faster Residue Decomposition of Brittle Stem Rice Mutant Due to Finer Breakage During Threshing, published in Soil & Tillage Research (2008). She has also co-authored several studies on agricultural systems, waste management, and rural development, and contributed chapters to books on organic agriculture published by DA-BAR and UPLB.
Through her sustained engagement in research, she continues to advance science-based approaches and innovative strategies for sustainable agriculture in the Philippines.