The Pili Research and Development (R&D) Center under the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) continues to yield concrete results through science and technology interventions. This resulted in the improved production of Bicol’s “Tree of Hope.”
Recently, the program launched the Pili Information System and Marketplace developed by Partido State University (ParSU). The two websites, which serve as an e-commerce site for pili products and knowledge bank for all updates on the local pili industry, are now available for public access.
The Pili Information System can be accessed at http://pili-nicer.parsu.edu.ph/, while the Pili marketplace can be accessed at http://pilimarketplace.parsu.edu.ph/home.
Other notable output of the Pili R&D Center is he training of 80 plant propagators on pili asexual propagation. The farmers from Albay, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, and Masbate were trained by experts from Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF).
Five newly improved designs of pili sorter, depulper, cracker, testa remover, and oil extractor were also developed by BUCAF to aid the farmers in pili processing.
Meanwhile, the upgraded BUCAF’s Plant Pathology Laboratory facility equipped the research team to conduct quality standard procedures for pili nuts diagnosed with Tayangawon disease.
Currently, BUCAF is in the process of identifying pili varieties/accessions with promising characteristics. They have initially characterized 140 trees in the province of Albay and processed collected samples of pili nuts and kernels.
Bio-fertilizer protocol for early growth stages of fruit-bearing pili nut trees is underway.
Meanwhile, the team from Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) almost completed the map of pili farms in the region. More than 4,000 pili farms across the Bicol region were surveyed.
The Pili R&D Program is being led by the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD) Consortium Director Marissa N. Estrella and monitored by DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).
In preparation for its third year of implementation, the accomplishments of the Pili R&D Center were evaluated during a virtual meeting organized by the Crops Research Division (CRD) of DOST-PCAARRD. Dr. Domingo E. Angeles of the College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) served as technical evaluator of the projects.
Project leaders and staff from BUCAF, CBSUA, and ParSU; a representative from the DOST Science for Change (S4C) Project Management Office; and DOST-PCAARRD key officials and staff also attended the activity.