The Mariano Marcos State University still maintains its stature as the leading research institution in Region 1 as it bagged top awards in the 28th Regional Symposium on R&D Highlights of the Ilocos Agriculture and Aquaculture Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILAARRDEC) held on November 7-8, 2016 at the University of the Philippines, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
The paper entitled “Development and assessment of organic production management technologies for rice-based agroecosystem” by Floramante Pastor, Noralyn Legaspi, Mario Remolacio, Lea Agbigay, Corazon Diana Pastor, Ma. Concepcion Birginias, Maricel Billiones and Rosalinda Q. Santiago was adjudged 1st place, Best Research Paper during the said symposium. Legaspi, who presented the paper, eventually got the nod of the evaluators after underscoring the relevance of their research in addressing the problems of farmers in adopting organic farming particularly during the organic conversion period. The paper bested 18 other entries from the different member-agencies of ILAARRDEC presented under the research category.
In addition, the research poster of Christine Bumanglag, Rodel Utrera, Nathaniel Alibuyog, Floramante Pastor, and UPO PhD Team entitled “Development of hydrological dataset from LiDAR surveys for watersheds in Ilocos Norte” also got the 1st place, Best Poster in the research category. Bumanglag also presented the paper with the same title during the event.
Furthermore, the three MMSU entries for the undergraduate theses category also won awards as follows: 2nd Place, Best Thesis (agriculture category) – “Molecular identification of banana viruses in symptomatic leaf samples and relating the viruses to pre-disposing factors” by Micah Benize Gregorio; and 2nd and 3rd place in the aquaculture category for the theses “Isolated from Halicokna enamela (de Laubenfels, 1930) and and Hitchhiker Sponge (Jaspis serpentine Wilson, 1925) collected from Poblacion 1, Currimao, Ilocos Norte by Gualberto Tampol, Jr., and “Effects of secondary metabolites derived from Hormophysa triquetra (Kutsing, 1834) on various pathogens” by Rhea Espiritu, respectively.
In this year’s regional symposium, MMSU entries included 5 papers in the research oral category, 4 research posters, and 3 undergraduate theses.
Spearheaded by ILAARRDEC’s director and MMSU Officer-In-Charge, Dr. Prima Fe R. Franco, the Regional Symposium this year had the theme “ILAARRDEC: Towards Green Technology” with Dr. Teodoro Solsoloy, DA-BAR Asst. Director, who represented Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar, as keynote speaker. The symposium is an annual activity which gathers researchers, extension and development workers, local government unit representatives, and farmers in region I that showcases R&D outputs and breakthroughs. (Lea C. Agbigay)
