The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) strengthened its support for ornamental and medicinal plants research and development (R&D) during a recently held meeting with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry’s (DA-BPI) National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) and industry experts.
The Philippine ornamental plants industry presents promising avenues for commercial production while the medicinal plants remain largely untapped. Recognizing these opportunities, NSIC’s Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Varietal Improvement Group (VIG) gathered the researchers and industry experts as part of NSIC’s continuing commitment to formulate and institutionalize varietal evaluation and registration of various commodities in the Philippines.
The meeting was co-hosted by DOST-PCAARRD, DA-BPI, and the Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Food Science of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB-CAFS-IPB).
DOST-PCAARRD’s Crops Research Division (CRD) Director Leilani D. Pelegrina served as the meeting’s resource speaker and presented the significant strides in ornamental and medicinal plants R&D through the ongoing and completed projects anchored with the Council’s Industry Strategic Science and Technology (S&T) Program (ISP).
Among these accomplishments are newly registered hoya and hibiscus varieties, characterization of putative Alocasia mutants for further generation advancement, discovery of ‘lagundi’ species native to the Philippines, identification of promising medicinal plant accessions, development of a low-cost DNA extraction method, and the implementation of technology transfer, capacity-building, and policy analysis initiatives.
Dr. Cecilia C. Almontero of the Institute of Crop Science (ICropS), CAFS-UPLB expressed her gratitude to DOST-PCAARRD on behalf of the agriculture students who completed their undergraduate studies through the grants and support provided by the Council.
“These students are the future workers, researchers, and scientists of the sector and we shall help them see that research is indeed inviting by providing them with a conducive environment in doing their thesis and other research activities,” Dir. Pelegrina said, recognizing the role of manpower development in reviving the ornamental and medicinal plants industries.
Meanwhile, outgoing VIG Chair and Scientist Fernando B. Aurigue emphasized the timely recognition of the different medicinal plant varieties, marking the group’s first engagement in their varietal registration.
The draft general guidelines for the evaluation and registration of medicinal plants is one of the key outputs of the meeting, reviewed and polished by the VIG members.
Also present in the meeting were DOST-PCAARRD’s ISP Manager for Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Kimberly Zarah B. Locsin and Ms. Ercieline A. De Torres from CRD.
The participants also visited the Microgrow Garden owned by Ms. Anna Maria G. Valenzuela, a DOST-PCAARRD collaborator on ornamental plants. This visit provided insights into the industry’s landscape from a private sector perspective.