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News
Mycological Society holds 10th Anniversary and Symposium
by Miko Jazmine J. Mojica
The Mycological Society of the Philippines (MSP) based at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) celebrated its 10th Anniversary by holding its Annual Scientific Symposium and Training on Mushroom Production and Improvement of Homemade Fruit Wine at Benguet State University (BSU), La Trinidad, Benguet, 14-16 April 2008.
Members of the academe and their students, government agencies, farm owners, and interested individuals participated in the well-attended event that showcased several breakthrough studies and technologies in the field of mycology. Mycology is the branch of botany that studies fungi and fungus-caused diseases.
The event kicked off with a lecture on the improvement of homemade fruit wine by Mr. Elbert Pigtain, a multi-awarded exporter of tropical fruit wines such as bignay, duhat, and mango.
Mr. Pigtain shared his own success story in wine making and how he was able to penetrate the high-end market in the United States and Europe.
The training on mushroom production was divided into two modules: 1) pleurotus and oyster mushroom production, and 2) shiitake mushroom production. Two professors from BSU, Dr. Bernard Tad-awan and Dr. Janet S. Luis, served as resource persons for the two trainings, respectively.
Mushroom production is prized in Benguet as it commands a high price in the market compared to other crops. Both trainers, however, recognized that mushroom production requires a lot of trial and errors as mushrooms are highly sensitive to contaminants such as the pathogen Trichoderma.
During the symposium proper which carried the theme “Fungi in Organic Agriculture”, more than 20 scientific papers were presented in two days composed of non-competing and competing papers as well as three manuscript defenses vying for the first Tricita H. Quimio Undergraduate Thesis Award.
Dr. Quimio, chairperson of the organizing committee of MSP founded in 1998 in UP Visayas, is recognized in the international science community for her expertise and contribution to the advancement of mushroom research.
Dan A. Saclangan, a graduating student of BSU's College of Agriculture, won the award for his study, “Preliminary Study on the Field Application of Trichoderma spp on Strawberry Flower Using Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.”, a unanimous decision from the judges.
In the Best Research Paper category, awardees were: Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (Glomus aggregatum) Alleviates Heavy Metal Toxicity in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) by Dr. Venecio Ultra Jr., University of Eastern Philippines, North Samar (1st Place); Pleurotus Growers' Best Practice in Central Luzon: To Wrap or Not to Wrap? by Aaron Roy Aquino, Pedrito S. Nitural, et. al., Central Luzon State University (2nd Place); and Partial Characterization of Mutants from a Plastic-degrading Black Fungus by Mary Ann T. Tavanlar and Emil C. Lat, BIOTECH, UPLB (3rd Place).
In the Best Poster category, awardees were: Fungal Root Endophytes Isolated from Musa spp as Biocontrol Agents Against the Plant Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum by Andre Adducul, Rizza Cabalfin, et.al, UST (1st Place); Finding Ways to Convert Problematic Waste Slurry from Corn-Nut Processing Plants into Beneficial Uses/Products by Anjelyn B. Del Rosario, UP Manila, Fides Z. Tambalo, BIOTECH , UPLB, and Dexter M. Belenario, KSK Company (2nd Place); and Biosorption of Mercury by the Marine Fungus Dendryphiella salina from the Mediterranean Sea by January Aninipot, Roanne Dahonog, et.al., University of Sto. Tomas (3rd Place).
Non-competing papers in the symposium were no small feat either as these drew out keen interest from the participants with regard to the study of fungi and its significance in the Philippines.
Some of the interesting presentations were given by Dr. Virginia C. Cuevas, a respected professor and scientist at UPLB and expert in the field of Ecology, on organic agriculture and biowaste compost with Trichoderma; Dr. Romulo H. Malvar, president, Marinduque State College, on the planned Fern and Mushroom Park, Research and Livelihood Center in Marinduque; and from the private sector, Mr. Gil Carandang, Herbana Farms owner, on the significance of indigenous beneficial microorganisms in soil fertility and pest and disease control.
The event was capped by the induction of new members and officers of MSP with Dr. Jocelyn T. Zarate from BIOTECH, UPLB as President. Sponsors of MSP included the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST). 
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