Human activities, such as product manufacturing, mining, and ore extraction, chemical and metallurgical processing, road and building construction, municipal and household activities, and agriculture among others, have relocated and accumulated metal and material resources from geological origins to the technosphere.… More

Human activities, such as product manufacturing, mining, and ore extraction, chemical and metallurgical processing, road and building construction, municipal and household activities, and agriculture among others, have relocated and accumulated metal and material resources from geological origins to the technosphere. The technosphere is defined broadly as a material stockpile that has been established by human activities and technological processes (Johansson et al., 2013). Iron, for example, is mined and extracted from iron oxide ores from the Earth’s crust, by high temperature metallurgical processes and is used to produce steel, other metal alloys, and chemical products. Iron is now present in many things we use everyday, i.e., buildings, bridges, cutting tools, bicycle, and a multitude of other materials and equipment. These materials containing iron, either active or inactive stocks, are part of the technosphere and are considered technospheric stocks or secondary sources of iron. Less

About 32% of the Philippine land area is devoted for agriculture. Given this, the agriculture sector is expected to increasingly generate significant emissions of non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHG) and their precursors such as methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO),… More

About 32% of the Philippine land area is devoted for agriculture. Given this, the agriculture sector is expected to increasingly generate significant emissions of non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHG) and their precursors such as methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) from open burning of biomass residues from rice, corn and sugarcane farming. This study was undertaken to generate an updated yet specific inventory of contributions of provinces and regions to the total emissions of such radiative gases. Biomass residues from rice, corn and sugarcane were purposively sampled from the field and subjected to laboratory analyses to determine carbon fraction as well as carbonnitrogen ratio values. Secondary data on annual crop production were obtained from the PSA while default values of emission factors were secured from the IPCC. Inventory of such non-CO2 GHwG emissions covering all provinces of the Philippines were undertaken using the IPCC Tier 1 approach. Thematic maps were then generated through simple geographic information system. The study showed an average annual total emissions of 21 Gg, 550 Gg, 0.4 Gg and 15 Gg, respectively for CH4, CO, N2O and NOx from 1990 to 2015 with CO constituting 94% of the emissions. Western Visayas was the top “hotspot” region with about ? of the total emissions. Other “hotspot” regions include Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao and Cagayan Valley. Apart from providing technical and financial support to entice farmers to recycle crop residues, heightened monitoring and implementation of applicable environmental regulations must also be pursued to deter farmers from burning crop residues. Tax and non-tax incentives may be offered likewise to attract investors to put up processing plants utilizing crop residues primarily for power generation. Less

Forest litter is an important aspect for healthy forest ecosystems. Hence, this study monitored the litterfall production and turnover in the established two-hectare permanent plots in the three Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Sites in Mindanao, viz., Mt. Apo, Mt.… More

Forest litter is an important aspect for healthy forest ecosystems. Hence, this study monitored the litterfall production and turnover in the established two-hectare permanent plots in the three Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Sites in Mindanao, viz., Mt. Apo, Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Musuan. Litter samples were collected from 2w0 installed traps at each site and consequently sorted to components, processed and oven-dried. Data revealed that the estimated annual litter production was highest in Mt. Musuan with 11211.5 kg ha-1, followed by Mt. Apo with 6648.0 kg ha-1 and Mt. Hamiguitan with 4919.5 kg ha-1. Agathis philippinensis contributed the highest litterfall production in Mt. Apo, whereas Barringtonia racemosa and Artocarpus blancoi in Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Musuan, respectively. Highest litter turnover was observed in Mt. Musuan (5.35%/day). Litterfall production showed to have a positive correlation with temperature for Mt. Hamiguitan and Mt. Musuan. Among the studied sites, Mt. Musuan had the highest forest primary production. Results of this study support previous reports that lowland forests have high forest productivity. Further, there is a need to plant Philippine endemic and threatened trees, such as A. philippinensis since these prove to have high productivity as in the case of Mt. Apo and Mt. Hamiguitan. Less

There are thousands of species in the plant kingdom but less than 200 are recognized as major crops. There is even less when it comes to food crops hence food and nutritional insecurity are major concerns in either developed or… More

There are thousands of species in the plant kingdom but less than 200 are recognized as major crops. There is even less when it comes to food crops hence food and nutritional insecurity are major concerns in either developed or developing countries. Unfortunately, manyspecies fall under the neglected and underutilized species (NUS) category. Senna tora (L.) Roxb. is largely utilized in some countries especially as part of their traditional medicine but is generally known as a weed in the Philippines and henceforth technically, one of the NUS. This paper reports of findings of a series of investigations from December 2009 to November 2017 of S. tora in Bukidnon that documented its uses as a food, feed, and medicinal crop; in situ and ex situ ecotypic diversity in the province based on its phenotypes; and potential resilience to abiotic stresses at early vegetative stage. Use of leaves, seeds and roots as food, feed and medicine were documented in 9 of 22 barangays. Percent crude protein (PCP) of seeds and leaves ranged from 12.50% to 20.48% and 16.94-39.02%, respectively. PCP of seeds (H’=0.93) and leaves (H’=0.79 and 0.81) were highly diverse based on Standardized Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index. Plant height was estimated with moderate (H’=0.67) to high (H’=0.88 and 0.93) diversity. However, all ecotypes were non-nodulating (H’=0.00). Finally, most ecotypes were more sensitive to waterlogging than to drought for 16 days at seedling stage. Three of 10 ecotypes were sensitive only to waterlogging whereas, another three ecotypes were not sensitive to both stresses. Less

Identification and subsequent isolation of anti-dengue active compounds in medicinal plants are potentially useful for developing antiviral chemical analogues. This study investigated the potential use of aqueous, methanolic, and ethanolic extracts of Syzygium sp. “O-on” against bacterial co-infection of Staphylococcus… More

Identification and subsequent isolation of anti-dengue active compounds in medicinal plants are potentially useful for developing antiviral chemical analogues. This study investigated the potential use of aqueous, methanolic, and ethanolic extracts of Syzygium sp. “O-on” against bacterial co-infection of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in dengue. Taxonomic identification of Syzygium sp. “O-on” collected from Mindanao signifies possible new species through their distribution, ecology and conservation status. Phytochemical analysis showed that crude aqueous and organic solvent extracts contain medicinally important bioactive compound. Highest antimicrobial potentials were observed for the methanolic extracts of Syzygium sp. which inhibited 62.5 and 51.16% of the tested microorganisms, respectively, with higher activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (83.3%). We suggest that the Syzygium sp. could be potentially exploited to control the behaviors of this pathogen as well as for its utilization as a lead compound in screening for anti-dengue agents based on new antimicrobial targets. Less

The main and interaction effects on the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical seavenging activity of two edible ferns in various food processing methods were investigated. Factors include fern species (Diplazium eculentum and Stenochlaena… More

The main and interaction effects on the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical seavenging activity of two edible ferns in various food processing methods were investigated. Factors include fern species (Diplazium eculentum and Stenochlaena palustris), and type of processing methods at various levels (blanching at 80?C for 1, 2 and 3 minutes, boiling at 4, 5 and 6 minutes; freezing at 1, 2 and 3 weeks; microwave at 30, 60 and 90 seconds; oven dry at 70?C for 1, 3 and 5 hours; steaming at 8, 9 and 10 minutes; vacuum packaging at 1, 2 and 3 weeks and fresh as control) were studied. Main effects were based on fern species, process and levels while, interaction effects comprise the combinations of the main effects. Results revealed that the main and interaction effects to all parameters used were significantly different. D. esculentum has a higher TPC and TFC than S. palustris. However, S. palustris attained higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than D. esculentum. Among the processing methods, oven drying attained high TPC and TFC while steaming increased the DPPH radical scavenging activity. Both of these processes were best at low levels. Less

Knowing the pest species first is necessary for the formulation of pest control method. In this study an assessment of termite infestation in the academic buildings was conducted. All wooden materials both furniture and structural member were inspected for signs… More

Knowing the pest species first is necessary for the formulation of pest control method. In this study an assessment of termite infestation in the academic buildings was conducted. All wooden materials both furniture and structural member were inspected for signs of termite infestation. Soldiers of termites found infesting wooden structures were collected for identification. The data gathered during actual inspections include moisture content of infested wood, coatings (painted or not), type of wood in service (furniture or structural member) and materials used (lumber or plywood). A regression analysis was run to determine if the mentioned factors or combination thereof can best explain the rate of infestation. A total of 28 buildings were inspected. All of the buildings showed signs of termite infestation. Pieces of furniture were mostly infested with drywood termites while structural member were infested mostly by subterranean termite. However, most of the buildings have empty tunnels with no active termite population. There were only 3 species of subterranean termites collected and identified viz., Macrotermes gilvus Hagen, Coptotermes gestroi Wasmann and Microcerotermes losbañosensis Oshima. Regression analysis showed that none of the factors or combinations thereof can explain the variation in the extent of damage caused by termites. Keywords: edible ferns, phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant activity. Less

Seriales fruit is an underutilized wild fruit in the Philippines with promising food production potential, however the usual drawback of processing is the change in the composition or properties of the crop or product. Hence, the study aimed to determine… More

Seriales fruit is an underutilized wild fruit in the Philippines with promising food production potential, however the usual drawback of processing is the change in the composition or properties of the crop or product. Hence, the study aimed to determine and compare the proximate composition of raw and heattreated seriales fruits. Heat-treatment involves blanching, steaming, boiling and microwave-cooking, which were analyzed for its moisture content, ash content, crude fat, crude fiber and crude protein following standard methods. Results revealed that heat-treatment employed cause a significant difference (p<0.05) on proximate composition of the fruit except for ash and crude fat. High moisture content was identified to boiled and steamed fruits, and the lowest was observed in microwave-cooked seriales. Crude protein and fiber were revealed as having increased values in comparison with the raw seriales fruit. Less