Vol. 1 Issue 2, 2016

BONI CAYABYAB: Flying High Like A Butterfly!

From the Editor

This issue of RN features two of the most brilliant researchers of the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC).

We will discover the passions of Dr. Cayabyab, who has dedicated his 38 years of service to the center and the cluster as well. Who will not know him? The butterfly man!

On the other hand, an extension worker par excellence and a weed scientist, Dr. Gil Magsino will tell us the value of work, family and sacrifice.

Find out and we hope you learn many lessons from their experi-ences.

Thank you to my resourceful production team, Erich, and Sarah and for the concept, Ms. Cely Navasero.

Ruby G. dela Cruz

For 38 years, the name of Dr. Bonifacio F. Cayabyab has been synonymous to butter-flies because of the many years of research that he has spent in butterfly breeding. But aside from that he is also a prolific re-searcher.

“Butterflies are my passion. I had spent years in butterfly research as part of aca-demic freedom load, specifically on Philip-pine butterflies. I conduct regular butterfly flora and fauna for biodiversity inventories in various localities and conservation includ-ing studies on livelihood aspects .These studies were utilized by researchers, butterfly houses, breeders and enthusiasts in the country.

M O R E N E X T P A G E

Dr. Bonifacio F. Cayabyab,

Ph.D., Entomologist

Moreover, I was able to impart my expertise on this through lectures and exhibits in vari-ous places in the Philippines. I also wrote manuals and leaf-lets on butterflies. Some of these include “A Manual on Butterflies”, “New Butterfly Records from Mt. Makiling, Laguna, Philippines”, The Ef-fect of Tropical Storms on the Butterfly Fauna Population of Mt. Makiling”, and some oth-ers. I was able to serve differ-ent clienteles from different provinces by helping them es-tablish butterfly gardens, ex-hibits or trainings on butter-flies.”

Field shots of butterfly farms at Mt. Makiling, taken from one of BFC posters.

Butterflies do not only beautify nature; they can also serve as decorative fixtures and can be used as attractions in exhibits and other important events; Dr. Cayabyab and team patient-ly design preserved butterflies into frames, glasses and other

artistic ideas.

P A G E 2 . . C A Y A B Y A B R E S E A R C H E R S ’ N O T E B O O K

MOST IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC

CONTRIBUTIONS:

As an entomologist, Dr. Cayabyab says that most of his researches are focused on studies that in-volve pest management in agricultural sector. A major part of his 38 years has been dedicated to entomology particularly for the development of agri-cultural sector, specifically in managing pests. Some of the studies he has been involved with in-clude pest surveillance and monitoring, develop-ment of plant quarantine in the Philippines, re-search development and extension on integrated pest management (IPM), discovery and utilization of biological control agents against several pests, butterfly researches and a lot more.

One of the significant research outputs he has worked on is the study on the bio-ecology of locust in breeding and infested areas which helped the farmers in Central Luzon to manage the pest. He was also part of the team that discovered the para-sitoids, Comperiella calauanica against “cocolisap” or coconut scale insect.

Another scientific contribution of Dr. Cayabyab was the selection of surrogate species for assessing the potential adverse environmental impacts of genet-ically engineered insect-resistant plants on non-target organisms. This study tackled the challeng-ing issues that face the genetically engineered crops developer, the ecologists, and the regulators on the use of surrogate species that represents the non-target organisms in assessing environmental impacts.

RECENT STUDIES

The “Monitoring of the Asian corn borer’s resistance to Bt corn in the Philippines” was one of the most recent studies done by Dr. Cayabyab and team. He was also one of the researchers that did “A compar-ative susceptibility and binding studies of Crytoxins to Ostrinia nubilalis, Ostrinia furnacalis and Diatraea saccharalis” together with a co-worker from the Uni-versity of Nebraska Licoln as lead researcher, wherein it was found out that both of the Ostrinia corn borer species are similar in sensitivity to the Crytoxins toxins, thus suggesting shared toxin re-ceptors and mechanisms of toxicity for the two spe-

On- going projects are: “Interdisciplinary research and development for the production and utilization of gabing San Fernando (Xanthosoma sigittifolium); F2 screening of Asian Corn Borer Population in Isa-bela and South Cotabato (DA-PIU); Corn pest sur-veillance and forecasting; SARAI Pest Model

Development and crop forecasting; The Effect of climate change on the butterflies of Mt. Makiling, and Development of butterfly products.

EXPERT ADVISE

Dr. Cayabyab says, “Find what interests you most and focus on that. Keep abreast with other re-searcher’s works and collaborate with others. Up-grade your skills through continuing education . Observe how senior researchers do their experi-ments; ask questions and learn how to listen. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and widen your network, serve all the time, and make things hap-pen even if the resources are limited.”

From left: 1. Dr. BFC with BAFS and BPI lecturers on Onion Good Agricultural Practice conducted from 2012-2014 in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4B and 7. 2. Surveillance of invasive alien

pest in Tarclac

Lecture cum training on rice pest management in Sto. Tomas and

other towns of Pangasinan.

M O R E N E X T P A G E

P A G E 3 V O L . 1 I S S U E 2 , 2 0 1 6

So, considering the intensity of a researcher’s workload, how does he manage his time and make the balance between work and family mat-ters?

“Prioritization helps a lot. I have a list of activities that I need to accomplish on a daily, monthly, and quarterly basis. As much as possible, I dedicate the weekends to my family and I devote an active quality time and involvement with them. Work not just for work but also for the family.” (family photo)

Being one of the most accomplished NCPC re-searchers, these are his words of wisdom:

“I am very thankful for my 38 years of service and also to my colleagues because without them, I can-not achieve all of my accomplishments; I commend the UPLB and most especially the NCPC administra-tive staff who serve us unselfishly in administrative, laboratory and field works . Likewise, I consider an unparallel accomplishment when I see my former younger staff finish their graduate studies. The re-cent L. B. Uichanco Outstanding Entomologist Award bestowed to me by the Phillippine Associa-tion of Entomologist last March 2016 is one of the award that I cherish most. My membership to the following scientific groups also attest to my achieve-ments:

DA IRM Advisory Team

BAFS Technical Working Group for PNS

Biocontrol Agents/Biopesticides

BAFS Technical Working Group for Onion GAP

ASEAN Biocontrol for Sustainable Food

Production

Tephritid Workers of Asia, Australia and

Ocenia (TAAO)

Ad Hoc Committee on Integration of Crop

Protection Laws

2016 UPLB Pool of Research and Extension

Evaluators

CPC Academic Personel Committee

CPC Research and Development Committee

Phil. Association of Entomologists

National Research Council of the Philippines

After retirement, Dr. Cayabyab plans to continue working and pursuing his research and extension activi-ties as active retired researcher, consultant and volunteer worker because for him, there is no reason to stop and activities can still be done even if the resources are wanting with the grace and as-sistance from our God Almighty, Jehovah .

Just like a butterfly that never stops flying on beautiful spaces, Dr. Boni Cayabyab will always be high above to serve the agriculture community.

Cayabyab receiving award as

PMCPs LB Uichanco Outstand-

ing Entomologist of 2016

1.BFC and wife, 2. (Below) BFC with children and cousins..

Interview by: Eric Jhon DG Cruz Sarah Jane Manaday Edited by. Ruby G. dela Cruz Photos: BF Cayabyab

P A G E 4 R E S E A R C H E R S ’ N O T E B O O K

M O R E N E X T P A G E

Meet the Man Who Is Confidently A

Good Researcher with a Heart for the

Farmers: Dr. Gil L. Magsino

GIL L. MAGSINO, Ph.D.

At the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC), researchers are not only scientists. They are trained to do extension works that have helped a number of farmers in the country with regards pest management dissemi-nation. One of these gifted researchers is Dr. Gil Lantican Magsino, cur-rent head of the NCPC Information Management and Technical Services (IMTS) of the NCPC Extension Division, and an accomplished weed sci-entist. Dr. Magsino has proven his worth as an extension worker with his numerous achievements that made his name known to the field workers even from far flung areas of the country. He has been one of the main men in the original team of the Farmer Scientist Training Program (FSTP) in the 90s, that trained a number of farmers to become scientists by empowering them with crop protection and pest management tech-niques that they eventually applied to their everyday activities These farmers are now successful entrepreneurs in their own rights. .

In fact, Dr. Magsino considers the awards from extension works as his most important awards. For him, his greatest achievement is the ability to truly help the farmers and make big impact in their lives.

“I remember this project that I con-ducted in the 1990’s at Calawit Island to help the farmers in in-creasing the yield of their rice. Be-fore the training was conducted, the average yield was only 5 cav-ans per hectare but after the train-ing, that was changed to 90-100 cavans per hectare. Nothing is more satisfying than to help meet the needs of these people even in simple means and ways. Every year I send boxes of goods like used clothes to the Island and people really appreciate it. In fact, they even wanted to build a statue of me in their Island as a sign of their gratitude but I refused and told them that only dead people have statue and I’m still alive” re-lates Magsino.

Magsino: Big heart for extension works..

Magsino considers the field and the farmers as major parts of his life.

P A G E 5 V O L . 1 I S S U E 2 , 2 0 1 6

Current research project:

Currently, Dr. Magsino is involved in the DOST-PCAARRD funded project in collaboration with Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) on the use of Carrageenan as plant food supplement and as plant growth promoter. The project is about the use of carrageenan plant growth regulator (CPGR), a seaweed-derived material and a plant growth promoter for lowland rice - both transplant-ed and direct seeded rice. Carrageenan helps pro-mote growth of rice plant and also serves as an inductor of resistance to pests and diseases. Ac-cording to Magsino, “During the first year of the project, we conducted a frequency-dosage profil-ing and used the data obtained to conduct the field trial in the 2nd and 3rd year. The field trials conduct-ed in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Iloilo, and Zamboanga del Sur showed that carrageenan is effective in increasing the yield of rice compared with the traditional practice of the farmers. Demon-stration trials were also done in Regions 2 (Isabela and Cagayan) and 3 (Pulilan, Bulacan) where free CPGR were given to farmers and tested to 5000 hectares of rice fields.”

As a supplement, carrageenan is used in addition to commercial fertilizers. Only half of the recom-mended rate of commercial fertilizers will be needed and the other half will come from carra-geenan, at an application rate of 9 Liters per hec-tare per season. This will result to 15-30% in-crease in yield. In our Bulacan trial, the yield in-crease by up to 65% but the environmental condi-tions during that time are very favourable.

At present, carrageenan is only tested for rice but there is also an on-going research by BSU (Benguet State University) on the use of carragee-nan for other crops such as vegetables. Per liter in one hectare it will cost less than 300 pesos in one cropping season. In our previous CPGR pro-duction, only 350 liters per day can be produced but now, using the 2 million dollar equipment that we purchased, thousands of liters can be pro-duced in a day. Right now we are processing its registration in Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) and planning to privatize through DOST-PCCARRD by next year.

(from top) 1. Magsino entertaining questions at the Car-rageenan techno demo farm during the NCPC 40th An-niversary; 2. The Carrageenan display is always a crowd drawer during agri exhibits 3. Farmers learn from Carra-

geenan informative display.

M O R E N E X T P A G E

P A G E 6

How does a very busy man manage his time and make balance between work and family?

Dr. Magsino says, “In reality, time management is quite difficult. In my case, balancing is not necessarily by time but using the opportuned time. As much as possible, I allot weekends for the family and we usually go out, especially dur-ing special occasions.”

For aspiring students and young researchers, Dr. Magsino emphasizes, “The skills can be developed through time but the most important traits to hold on are right attitude and commit-ment; by commitment, I mean to really help the marginalized farmers, by involving yourselves in extension related works.”

Dr. Magsino is blessed with a beautiful and loving wife, two chil-dren and a number of grandchildren to date.

Dr. Magsino is also very active in pest management organizations; he has held high positions such as president of the Pest Management Council of the Philippines (PMCP) for a couple of years as well as the Weed Science Society of the Philippines (WSSP), the Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA) and the Council for the Built and Natural Environment. He is also a member of the Sigma Delta Honor Society and currently active member of the Research, Extension and Professional Staff Society (REPSS) of UPLB.

Magsino at PMCP oath taking and awarding

After retirement, Dr. Magsino plans to buy a rice farm and fruit trees farm and at the same time do some consultancy works. The farms will primarily be for recreation purposes but if there will be too much harvest for consumption, it can also be used for business.

Interview by:

Eric Jhon DG Cruz & Sarah Jane Manaday

Edited by: Ruby G. dela Cruz

Photos: RG dela Cruz, MM Magallona, AG Burgonio

V O L . 1 I S S U E 2 , 2 0 1 6 P A G E 7

Bonifacio F. Cayabyab, PhD

Entomologist

Contacts:

049-536-2615

National Crop Protection Center

University of the Philippines Los Banos

College of Agriculture

College, Laguna

e-mail: bfcayabyab@yahoo.com

Gil L. Magsino, PhD

Weed Scientist/ NCPC Extension Head

Contacts:

049-536-2409

National Crop Protection Center

University of the Philippines Los Banos

College of Agriculture

College, Laguna

e-mail: glm_ncpc@yahoo.com