CLSU Attends 3rd SEARCA Faculty Forum

CLSU participated in the recent 3rd Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) Faculty Forum on January 19-20, 2022. The 2-day international online forum with the theme “Agricultural Science for a Better World” was hosted by the Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan. It aims to bring together scholars in a multidisciplinary discussion to share their experiences on their engagement in improving the world. The research project “Development and Characterization of Nutrichips for Disaster Resilience,” presented by Dr. Gella Patria Abella (Project Leader) addresses the need for disaster resiliency in the communities of Anda, Pangasinan which is at risk of natural hazards such as coastal flooding and storm surge. The project intends to develop a full-packed nutrichips from the locally abundant and inexpensive raw materials such as mushroom, seaweed and moringa (malunggay). Together with Dr. Abella are Dr. Evaristo A. Abella (Program Leader, College of Science), Ms. Geraldine G. Tayag (Project Staff, College of Home Science and Industry), Dr. Arman M. Parayao (Project Staff, College of Science), Ms. Ma. Johanna J. De Dios (Project Staff, College of Science), Mr. Zhandon Paul M. Cario (Project Support Staff IV, College of Science) from Central Luzon State University (CLSU), and Dr. Shella C. Parreno (Project Staff, Pangasinan State University-Binmaley Campus (PangSU). Meanwhile, Dr. Maria Luisa Tabing-Mason (Faculty, College of Agriculture) will also present her paper, “Improvement of Legume Production through Inoculation with Indigenous Rhizobia” on January 20, 2022, Day 2, Session 3: Application of Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture in Asia. This study focused on the identification of potentially novel species in the Philippines and their utilization as a microbial inoculant to increase the yield of different legumes. A part of this presentation is included in the project entitled “Sequence analysis of symbiotic genes on some indigenous rhizobia as a potential inoculant for soybean production” that was approved by the CLSU Academic Research Council for 2021 with Dr. Jerwin R. Undan and Ms. Baby Lyn T. De Guzman as co-researchers. With Agricultural Science as the pillar of the world, CLSU, through its various Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) activities, joins SEARCA in the call for more science-based knowledge dissemination at all community levels by reinforcing the collaboration among its members in the fields of education and research for more transforming and changing outcomes and an improved world.