Pangasinan Town Officials Updated on Potentials of Modern Biotech

Info on Bt Eggplant & Other Biotech Crops Exhibited in DA-BPI’s 82nd Anniversary Celebration

The multi-location confined field trials for hybrid Bt eggplants in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan (Region 1); University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna (Region 4-A); and Pili, Camarines Sur (Region 5) started during the first quarter of 2012, with the transplanting in the sites conducted in February 2012. Another hybrid trial was initiated at

the University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan, North Cotabato (Region 13) in March. The transplanted materials included in the hybrid trials were four experimental Bt eggplant F1 hybrids, four isogenic non-Bt F1 hybrids, and one commercial check variety. From vegetative to fruiting stage, the performance of the hybrid Bt eggplants will be evaluated and compared with the non-Bt hybrid counterparts based on different agronomic-morphological traits, bioefficacy against the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (measured in terms of shoot and fruit damage), and effects on non-target arthropod abundance and diversity. Disease incidence will be monitored among entries, while the amount of Bt protein present in different plant parts at different plant growth stages will also be determined. The field trials across locations will run for 150 days after transplanting. (LDTaylo)

Municipal councilors, mayors, and vice mayors of the province of Pangasinan learned about the potentials of modern biotechnology and the science, safety and

benefits of Bt eggplant during the “Seminar on Biotechnology Towards Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in a Changing Climate” at the Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on February 17, 2012. ABSPII Director Dr. Frank Shotkoski shared the public sector efforts on agri-biotechnology researches in the Philippines and in other countries. The agricultural challenges and problems encountered in these countries are being addressed by ABSPII’s projects on biotech crops such as the fruit and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant in the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh. He also explained the product demand driven strategy of the project. Meanwhile, the development, status, and potential benefits of Bt eggplant was introduced by Dr. Desiree Hautea, project leader of the Bt eggplant project of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, to the Pangasinan local officials. She also discussed the research project’s strict compliance to the national biosafety policies. Other topics tackled in the seminar were the global status and benefits of biotech crops presented by Dr. Rhodora Aldemita of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications; the basic applications of biotechnology by Dr. Antonio Alfonso of the Philippine Rice Research Institute; a study on insecticides residue and exposure factors

Hybrid Bt Eggplant Field Trials Commence in 4 Sites in the Philippines

ABSPII Director Dr. Frank Shotkoski discusses the various public sector efforts on agri-biotechnology.

The communication team joined the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Plant Industry’s (DA-BPI) 82nd Anniversary Celebration last January 18-19, 2012 in their office in Malate, Manila. Information materials on the fruit and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant and other biotech crops were distributed to the visitors, including Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

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Bt eggplant project team starts transplanting of hybrid varieties in UPLB.

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NewsletterA B S PIIAgricultural Biotechnology Support Project II

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Bt Eggplant Project Team Conducts Briefing & Consultation with Iloilo LGULocal government officers and constituents of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo met with some members of the Philippine Bt eggplant project team last March 9, 2012 to be informed about the ongoing Bt eggplant field trials, particularly in the Cotton Development Authority (CODA) in their municipality. Bt eggplant project leader in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Dr. Desiree Hautea, UPLB Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) member Dr. Rizaldo Bayot, UPLB study leader Dr. Lourdes Taylo, and International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Global Coordinator Dr. Randy Hautea served as resource persons for the briefing. Dr. Randy Hautea presented the Philippine Bt eggplant project’s development, status, and updates. Dr. Rizaldo Bayot shared his regulatory experience as an IBC member for the field trial in UPLB, and Dr. Desiree Hautea and Dr. Lourdes Taylo answered the LGU members’ questions on the safety of Bt eggplant to human health and the environment. The experts also explained the science behind Bt eggplant, as well as the proponents’ continuing compliance with the regulatory policy for the multi-location field trial (DA Administrative Order No. 8). To attest to the biosafety regulatory guidelines being implemented in the field trials, Ms. Merle Palacpac of the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) presented the biosafety policies governing multi-location field trials and the requirements in such

IPM Study in Controlling Borer Damage in Eggplant Conducted in Iloilo

College & High School Students View BiotechToons

Technical collaborators of the Bt eggplant project in Cotton Development Authority (CODA), Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, conducted a study to determine the usefulness of common chemical control practices against the eggplant fruit and shoot borer. Two eggplant varieties were used: the open-pollinated variety Dumaguete Long Purple and the hybrid variety Morena. The treatments used in the eggplants were (a) chili extract, (b) combination of spinosad + flubendiamide, (c) combination of chili spray + spinosad + flubendiamide, and (d) untreated control. Initial results from five harvests have shown that the percentage of fruit damage for both Morena and DLP eggplant varieties reached as high as 30%. Also, not one of the treatments provided a statistically significant reduction in percentage of borer compared with untreated plants. These results imply that the current methods of borer control provide only minimal reduction in borer damage, thereby significantly lowering yield and income of farmers. (LDTaylo)

Dr. Randy Hautea (standing) explains the development of Bt eggplant in the Philippines to the Iloilo local government officials.

experiments. She assured that the experiment is strictly being monitored by DA-BPI. Meanwhile, biotech stakeholders from Sara, Iloilo, farmer-businessman Delson Sonza and councilor Jess Salcedo, shared their town’s successful experience in planting biotech herbicide tolerant corn. Herbicide tolerant corn has been of great help in Sara because of its sloping geography. Herbicide tolerance in the corn reduced tillage in corn farming, thereby reducing soil erosion and laborious weeding. This greatly contributed in improving the lives of the people in Sara. (JAPanopio and SMMercado)

Mr. Andy Sugide (right), project research assistant, explains his field observations to ABSPII Director Dr. Frank A. Shotkoski (left) during his visit at the experimental farm in CODA, Iloilo on February 27, 2012.

Students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and high school pupils from various schools in Laguna and neighboring provinces viewed the winning entries of BiotechToons – editorial cartoons depicting the benefits and potentials of crop biotechnology – during the week-long SIHAY Biology Congress organized by the UP Cell Biological Society. BiotechToons was displayed as an exhibit in the Institute of Biological Sciences Building for SIHAY. The artworks include Bt eggplant which is mostly portrayed as a “super crop” that is resistant to insect pests, thus giving farmers benefits such as higher yield and income.

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A round of Bt eggplant multi-location field trials in the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, North Cotabato began through the re-collaboration of USM, the University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation Inc. (UPLB-FI), and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) last March 26, 2012. The three institutions, represented by Dr. Cecilio R. Arboleda, Executive Director of UPLB-FI, Dr. Jesus Antonio G. Derije, President of USM, and Dr. Randy A. Hautea, Global Coordinator of ISAAA, signed

Local Collaborators Partner for Bt Eggplant Field Trials in Cotabato, Philippines

USM IBC Updated on Field Trial Biosafety Policies and GuidelinesTen members of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) for the Bt eggplant field trials at the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in, Kabacan, North Cotabato, including the chief of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Plant Quarantine Service in Region 12 Mr. Rakim Tantung and local plant quarantine monitors, were updated and briefed on the biosafety guidelines in conducting a multi-location field trial last March 26, 2012. Ms. Merle Palacpac of the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry reiterated the biosafety measures implemented in compliance with the regulatory requirements set by the DA-BPI. The group reviewed the policies and procedures for the field trial including the 200-meter isolation of the experimental site from other local eggplant varieties, and the planting of pollen trap plants around the field trial. USM IBC Chair Dr. Emma Sales said that five rows of pollen trap plants were already planted around the trial site. She also expressed that with the proper knowledge on biosafety regulation, the university will full comply with national policies set for such research. An open discussion was also held to clarify the regulatory concerns of the IBC. (JAPanopio and SMMercado)

USM IBC sits down with DA-BPI regulator Ms. Merle Palacpac (leftmost) to discuss and review the biosafety guidelines that must be implemented in the Bt eggplant field trial.

Collaborators (seated, left to right) Dr. Cecilio Arboleda of UPLB-FI, Dr. Jesus Antonio Derije of USM, Dr. Frank Shotkoski of ABSPII, and Ms. Jenny Panopio, representing Dr. Randy Hautea of ISAAA, sign reaffirmation of commitments for the Bt eggplant field trial in USM during the inaugural partners’ meeting on March 26, 2012.

a reaffirmation of commitments during the inaugural partners’ held in USM. These institutions re-affirmed their commitments to implement the project “Development and Commercialization of Philippine Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB)-Resistant Eggplants Containing MAHYCO Bt Eggplant Event, EE-1: Multi-location Field Trials for Biosafety Assessment, Variety Accreditation and Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Registration.” The signing was witnessed by Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSP II) Director Dr. Frank Shotkoski and Bt eggplant project leader Dr. Desiree Hautea. The transplanting of both hybrid and open pollinated varieties (OPV) of Bt eggplants took place after the meeting. The transgenic eggplants were transplanted in a quarter-hectare fenced and isolated field inside the USM campus. Ms. Merle Palacpac, Chair of the Biotech Core Team of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry and Mr. Rakim Tantung, DA-Plant Quarantine Service Division Chief in Cotabato City, supervised the activity. North Cotabato local government officials were also present during the transplanting as part of the continuing education for LGU awareness of the Bt eggplant development in the country. The field trials of Bt eggplant for both hybrid and OPV in USM is considered as another milestone in the public sector biotechnology research. USM President Derije said that the project is part of the university’s mandate to conduct education, research, extension, and resource generation. Both President Derije and USM Institutional Biosafety Committee chair Dr. Emma Sales declared the project’s strict compliance to the conditions of the DA’s Administrative Order No. 8 which stipulates the rules and regulations for the release into the environment of plants and plant products derived from the use of modern biotechnology. (JAPanopio and SMMercado)

in eggplant farms in Pangasinan by Dr. Jinky Lu of UP Manila; the biosafety regulatory conditions and policy in the country by Ms. Merle Palacpac of the Department of Agricutlure – Bureau of Plant Industry; and farmer experiences in biotech corn adoption and upholding farmers’ sentiments in the biotech debate by Pangasinan

biotech farmer Rosalie Ellasus and Asian Farmers Regional Network Philippines President Reynaldo Cabanao. Pangasinan is the major producer of eggplant in the Philippines, with thousands of local farmers depending on eggplant production as main source of livelihood. (JAPanopio and SMMercado)

Pangasinan Town Officials Updated on the Potentials of Modern Biotech (From p.1)

BiotechTOONS Featured in 2012 Calendar

Some of the winning entries of BiotechTOONS: A Contest for Cartoonists on Biotechnology are featured in a 2012 calendar which were distributed in the outreach activities of the ABSPII

communication team. Recipients of the calendars were various stakeholders such as members of the local and regional scientific community, farmers, students, LGUs, government agency constituents, and media practitioners. The BiotechTOONS 2012 calendar showcases editorial cartoons of Bt eggplant, Bt cotton, biotech corn, and other biotech crops as humanized ‘super crops’ are able to withstand unfavorable conditions such as climate change, pests and diseases. These calendars present, in an eye-catching way, the benefits and potentials of crop biotechnology. BiotechTOONS was an editorial cartoon contest organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture – Biotechnology Information Center, in cooperation with the Philippine International Cartoons, Comics, and Animation, Inc. The contest was held last November 2011 to capture the perspectives of professional and amateur Filipino cartoonists on the benefits and potentials of biotech crops. The contestants researched on crop biotechnology, interviewed experts and scientists, and came up with their own concept of its value and promising potentials through their drawings. (JAPanopio and SMMercado)

SoutheaSt aSIa offIceDr. Desiree m. hauteaRegional Coordinator Institute of Plant BreedingUniversity of the Philippines Los BañosCollege 4031 Laguna PhilippinesTelefax: +63 49 5365140

uS offIceInternational Programs213 Rice Hall, Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14853 USA Tel.: +1 607 2556357 Fax: +1 607 2558186Email: absp2@cornell.edu

ABSPII is a USAID-funded consortium of public and private sector institutions that supports scientists, regulators, and the general public in developing countries to make informed decisions about agricultural biotechnology. Where demand exists, ABSPII focuses on the safe and effective development and commercialization of bio-engineered crops as a complement to traditional and organic agricultural approaches. The project helps boost food security, economic growth, nutrition, and environmental quality in East and West Africa, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

Additional information about ABSPII projects can be found at http://www.absp2.cornell.edu/

This newsletter is also available athttp://www.isaaa.org/Programs/supportprojects/abspii/

Vol VIII No 1jaNuary - march 2012

Editorial TeamRandy A. HauteaDesiree M. HauteaMariechel J. NavarroJenny A. Panopio

Writers/ContributorsJenny A. PanopioSophia M. MercadoLourdes D. Taylo

Design and LayoutClement Dionglay

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ABSP Participates in Asian Regional Workshop on Sustainable Agriculture, Biotechnology and Biosafety

ABSPII Director Dr. Frank A. Shotkoski and ABSPII Regional Coordinator and Bt eggplant project leader in the University of the Philippines Los Baños Dr. Desiree Hautea took part in the two-day Asian Regional Workshop on Sustainable Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Biosafety last January 10-11, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop, which was attended by more than 80 officials, scientists, experts, and policy makers from Asia and neighboring regions, encouraged discussion about the upcoming international meetings such as the Rio+20 and the 6th Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and how the meetings’ outcomes can be implemented in the national level. This regional activity was organized by the Public Research and Regulation Initiative, the International Food Policy Research Institute/Program for Biosafety Systems, and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.