The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and its partner agencies received two best paper awards during the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) National Congress held at the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) in Nueva Ecija, Oct. 17-19.
The paper titled Kabutehan para sa mga magsasaka: Production of oyster mushroom as an added source of income among rice farmers in Candaba, Pampanga authored by Ronan G. Zagado, Genesis C. Martin, Perry Irish H. Duran, Anna Marie V. Bautista, Jayvee P. Masilang, and Jerickson DJ. Ruz won the 3rd prize under the theme agricultural policies and international studies.
The study was conducted in partnership with the DA RFO-III, Candaba Local Government Unit, and the local farmers in Pansinao, Candaba. Researchers explored the potential of mushroom as an added enterprise for rice farmers. Results of the study indicate that mushroom enterprise is highly viable with 91% internal rate of return (IRR).
Joy Bartolome A. Duldulao, Lexter R. Natividad, King M. Bergonio, and Danilda S. Paragas won the 3rd prize for their paper titled Development and validation of rapid amylose test kit under the theme smart farming.
The team, in partnership with the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), analyzed the potential of a test kit device in measuring the amylose content of rice. The test kit is an alternative to the conventional laboratory materials that are costly and not readily accessible. Results show that the kit is accurate, repeatable, reproducible, and has intermediate precision.
A total of 85 research papers competed during the conference with the theme Confronting the challenges of food security and environmental protection through smart farming practices in the midst of ASEANization. It was organized by ISSAAS-Philippine Chapter and hosted by PCC and CLSU.
