Eggplant Report v2

Farmers Visit Experimental Eggplant Field, Attests to the EFSB Problem

Local government unit officers, members of the media and communities around UP Mindanao, constituents of UP Mindanao, farmers, and other stakeholders visited the experimental eggplant field located at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao on May 19, 2011from 3 to 5 PM. With support from the International Service for Acquisition of Agri- Biotech Applications (ISAAA), the activity was conducted with the objectives of: (1) sharing an overview of the economic, gastronomic, and medical significance of eggplants; (2) sharing an overview of the significance of eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB) and the available practices for managing the pest; (3) giving an eggplant farmer an opportunity to give a real life account of FSB infestation in the field; (4)

sharing an overview of the significance of the project and the experimental design it employs; and (4) letting the guests pick eggplants and investigate FSB infestation firsthand.

A brief program was held at the Lorezo Hall of the Administration Bldg of the UP Mindanao , starting with a welcoming address was given by the UP Mindanao Chancellor, Dr. Gilda C. Rivero, followed by a presentation of the significance of eggplants in every Filipino household and the Philippine economy as a whole. Ms Cyrose Suzie Silvosa, MSc, then introduced the EFSB, and discussed its life cycle, severity of its infestation, and the losses accounted to it. Ms. Silvosa also discussed the current methods used to control the pest. Mr. Francisco Getutua, an eggplant farmer from Maa Riverside, substantiated the losses accounted to FSB discussed by Ms Silvosa by speaking about the EFSB infestation in his field and the burdening cost of managing the pest by use of oil + chemical solution. In his concluding statements, Mr. Getuta stated that farmers hope that scientists will be able to find a solution to the EFSB problem.

Ms. Silvosa introduced the pest management project, a study conducted with the general aim of quantifying the degree of

EFSB infestation using the current available pest management practices. An open forum followed, the main questions asked were:

(1) How much limestome is applied to the soil? (Francisco Getutua, Riverside Maa farmer)

(2) Why were Trichogamma sp. and the sap with sugar to trap the borer not used? (Ms. Lorna Alderite of CAO)

(3) Why was Dumaguete long purple used and not the other varieties adapted to Davao soil? (Ms. Lorna Alderite of CAO)

The main comments raised were:

(1) the size of the experimental plot (Anne Fuertes, IDIS)

Mr. Getuta sharing his farm experience.

“. . . farmers hope that scientists will be able to find a solution to the EFSB problem.”

(2) accuracy of the experiments given the proponents (accused) inclination towards Bt technology. (Dr. Romeo Quijano, IDIS then a rebuttal from a UP student on the same)

An eggplant food festival then followed to showcase the different ways of preparing the eggplant (and to substantiate objective 1). Participants had the chance to eat eggplants prepared in so many

ways: pakbet, torta, baked with raisins, rice with talong, talong biscuit, among others. One of the most-loved recipe was “eggplant shake.” Participants then visited the Eggplant Field after the food festival and scrutinized firsthand, FSB infestation.

Before, during, and after the activity, members of the media interviewed students and proponents. Georgianna Oguis, IEC, was in fact on ABS- CBN and GMA the morning after the event.

A total of 30 registered guests and 30 unregistered guests participated in the activity.

Recommendations:

Only around half of the participants were able to visit the actual field because of the rain and the food festival. Whereas the rain cannot be controlled, the sequence of activities can be rearranged to increase the visit to the actual eggplant field site. Presentations can be made shorter, followed by visit to the field, and then the food festival. A press conference is also recommended.

City Agriculturist, Mr. Leo Avila, partaking in the talong food festival

EFSB Pest Management Proponents Hold 2nd Eggplant Field Day

Eggplant growers, community members, government representatives, and UP students attended the Second Visit to the Eggplant Experimental Field, an activity supported by International Service for Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, on May 31, 2011 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. The second field day was held with the aim of : (1) sharing an overview of the economic, gastronomic, and medical significance of eggplants; (2) sharing an overview of the significance of eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB) and the available practices for managing the pest; (3) giving an eggplant farmer an opportunity to give a real life account of FSB infestation in the field; (4) sharing an overview of the significance of the project, the experimental design it employs, and the preliminary results; and (5) letting the guests pick eggplants and investigate FSB infestation firsthand.

The welcome address was given by Dr. Reynaldo Abad, the Dean of College of Science and Mathematics. Prof. Verna Marie Monsanto-Hearne then shared that the eggplant, prized for its deeply purple, glossy beauty, leads in vegetable volume harvest, and that the Philippines is in fact the 2nd largest producer in Southeast Asia, and the 9th in the world. She also shared that the eggplant provides vitamins B6, C, K, thiamin, niacin, and panthotenic acid, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, and copper. It also provides phytonutrients such as nasunin, dubbed as brain food because of nasunin’s ability to protect brain cell membranes, and other phytonutrients (like phenolic compounds) now known to be antimutagenic, anti- microbial, anti- LDL and anti- viral. These scientifically proven antimutagenic, anti-microbial, anti- LDL and anti-viral properties of eggplants give credence to the thousand year old practice of using eggplant for medical purposes in India.

Ms. Cyrose Suzie Silvosa, MSc, then talked about the pest that infests eggplants, the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). She shared the lifecycle of EFSB and the impacts at the farm level. Francisco Getutua, a farmer from Riverside, Maa, agreed with Ms. Silvosa and gave a firsthand account of EFSB’s negative impacts in his farm.

Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco, the project leader of Integrated Pest Management of EFSB summarized the research rationale and methodology. Dr. Rasco showed that the preliminary analysis of data shows that the hybrid variety (Banate King F1) is still one harvest ahead compared to Dumaguete Long Purple and that the 10 harvests show that between the two varieties tested, Banate King F1 was better yielding than Dumaguete Long Purple in terms

of fruit weight and based on fruit count. Analysis of the raw data also so far reveals that the mean marketable yield based on fruit count is highest in combination plots sprayed with chilli + spinosad + flubendiamide, and lowest in chilli spray plots, even lower than the yield of control plots. EFSB infestation since the 5th harvest reached as high as 60%, and is expected to increase even more in

From top to bottom: Prof. Hearne, Ms. Silvosa, and Dr. Abad.

the succeeding harvests, quantifying the farmers’ testimonies that EFSB problem is indeed severe.

Dr. Reynaldo G. Abad then introduced the different non-target organisms in the experimental site.

During the open forum, Mr. Leonardo Avila III, OIC- City Agriculture Officer, said he that he would like to explore the possibility of collaborating with UP Mindanao to conduct studies on eggplant including the use of biological pest such as Trichogamma sp.

After the forum, Georgianna Kae Oguis launched the website: www.scientificfarming.net which outlines the methodology and the results of the experiment.

The activity at the Lorenzo Hall concluded with a bountiful eggplant festival. Among the foods served were: pritong talong, ginataang talong, rice with talong, eggplant shake, eggplant with pork, paksiw na talong, tortang talong, talong with bagoong, eggplant cookies and baked talong. Once again, only a few were able to actually visit the experimental plot due to a heavy downpour.

Harvest is expected to continue until the last week of June, and the final visit to the experimental field will hopefully ensue on the first week of July to give the conclusions of the study.

Left. Audience included representatives from Freedom Inc, DENR, community members and students.Right. Visitors inspecting EFSB infestation.