Agriculture.ph Blog

Rice bran and its oil may be among the most important sources of functional food components/nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals available in the world today. This was pointed out by Dr. Evelyn B. Rodriguez of the Institute of Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) at a seminar on “Food Plants as Source of Nutraceuticals and Cosmeceuticals Ingredients” organized by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) on 29 April 2008.

Rice bran or “darak” refers to the tan, hard outer layer covering a rice kernel and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. The bran removed from the rice grains is an excellent source of nutrients, minerals, and fiber.

Since rice is arguably the world’s most important food, a staple food to more than half the world’s population, the worldwide production of rice bran is vast. But given its amazing number of nutrients and potential for product development, rice bran, according to Dr. Rodriquez, “is largely underutilized and is poorly used for human food consumption.”

Unfortunately in the Philippines, instead of using rice bran to nourish people, it is mostly thrown away or used as feed supplement for swine production. Swine raisers mainly use it for fiber and protein quality which is practical in the provinces where rice bran is cheap. In other parts, rice bran is burned as fuel or dug back into the soil as fertilizer.

Rice bran as a functional food

As a functional food, rice bran provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Already, it is dubbed as the “new super food” owing to its amazing number of nutrients.

In hope that people would look at rice bran in a different view, Dr. Rodriguez mentioned some of the functional components of this often squandered food source.

Rice bran contains several important antioxidants and astounding quantity of other health-giving nutrients. Antioxidants, according to her, are the nutrients that fight off free radicals in the bodies. Free radicals cause premature aging and many of the degenerative diseases of old age. This is also the reason why rice bran is an important ingredient for cosmeceutical purposes.

Specifically, rice bran contains phytosterols, polysaccharides, beta-sitosterol, fiber, Vitamin E complex, and a large complement of B vitamins, including B15, which is a vital antioxidant.

These antioxidants are known for their hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effects, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties; enhance insulin production; and protect skin against ultra violet rays-induced oxidative stress, among other things.

Rice bran is also rich in co-enzyme q10, omega 3, and omega 6 fatty acids and even oleic acid which are also found in olive oil.

With its packed of nutrients and health benefits, Dr. Rodriguez cited products that may be developed from rice bran. They may not be considered new anymore since other developed countries have already adopted them. The Filipino entrepreneur however, could exploit its potential use since rice bran is practically underutilized in the country. Among the products she mentioned were rice bran as breakfast cereal and rice bran oil (RBO).

As breakfast cereal

Rice bran could be a solution to the current rice crisis, an alternative for rice, Dr. Rodriguez said when asked of its potential as a functional food. The only problem she sees is how to entice Filipinos to eat rice bran.

“Eating functional food is a lifestyle change. It’s a whole new set of ideology,” she reiterated. In encouraging Filipinos to eat rice bran, there is a need to first change their perspective on eating habit, meaning eating right.

As a food source, rice bran has a huge potential to make it to the market scene. “It’s ironic that it’s the developed countries that are making full potential of this by-product from rice when we in the developing countries just squander them and feed them to the pigs.”

The idea of rice bran for breakfast is not new at all. Since it is rich in dietary fiber and contains significant quantitities of starch, protein, vitamins, and minerals, it is often used to enrich breads and breakfast cereals. In fact, big companies in the United States such as Nutracea and Kellogg Company have been using rice bran to make their consumers’ products for years (i.e., bran breakfast cereal).

Oil from rice bran

Oil products from rice bran can either or both be used for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical purposes.

As it is, rice bran oil (RBO) already contains several constituents with potential significance in human diet and health. Dr. Rodriguez particularly focused on the gamma-oryzanol or g-Oryzanol, a naturally occurring mixture of plant chemicals called sterols and ferulic acid esters.

In the study conducted by Dr. Rodriguez and her group, they found that the g-oryzanol in rice bran produces potent antioxidant activity, anti-cancer properties, prevents bone loss, promotes skin capillary circulation, and increases sebaceous secretion of the skin (repairs damaged or dry skin), contains UV B screening activity and neuro-regulatory action (improves memory and diabetic neuropathy), and acts as anabolic steroid that increases body and muscle mass.

Another health component is Myo-Inositol Hexaphosphate (InsP6) which aids the body in its use (metabolism) of calcium and other minerals. Studies showed its significant activities for anti-cancer, involved in liver cell regeneration and management of kidney and gall bladder stones; helps improve blood circulation and stimulate cell turnover when used topically; reduces hair loss and stimulate hair growth; reduces plaque; and promotes skin lightening.

When Dr. Rodriguez and his group tested the percentage of the unsaponifiable matter in rice bran, they found it higher than that found in sesame seeds and corn kernel. Unsaponifiables are components of oil or fat that do not saponify. Unsaponifiables are important when creating a soap recipe in the process of soapmaking as they can be beneficial to a soap formula owing to their desirable properties such as moisturization, conditioning, vitamins, and texture.

Written by Rita T. dela Cruz

Source: www.bar.gov.ph

Every time the ducks quack, it means that something or someone is bothering them. Either they are being warded off from their place or they stood on a shaky ground.

This anecdote holds true for the current situation of the duck industry in the country.

Duck, although ranked second only to chicken for egg and meat production, is also a crucial subsector of the Philippine poultry industry. It provides employment and income-generating opportunities for Filipinos, particularly those in the rural areas.

Among the avian species, duck is considered the most adaptable because it can survive under a wide range of climatic and nutritional conditions. Duck raising is inexpensive, requires non-elaborate housing facilities, and needs very minimal space for rearing compared to chickens. Ducks are also shown to be relatively hardy, resistant to common diseases, and subsist on a variety of feeds.

Over the years, the duck industry has been hounded by various quandaries and constraints both in its production and marketing aspects. But since this industry is a local resource-based, it slowly gained its phase. Even importation seems not to be a serious threat to the domestic supply since a large portion of the demand for duck meat and eggs is still being met by current domestic production.

However, with the recent threat of the bird flu disease with rumors and speculations of its entry into the country, the industry is once again alarmed. This threat comes with other related series of problems such as high costs and poor quality of feed materials, high variability in the quality of stocks, erratic prices of duck products, and high possibility of the entry of imported duck egg products.

With these scenarios in mind, the Duck Industry Association of the Philippines (DIAPI), together with the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), Livestock Development Council (LDC), the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) convened major stakeholders both from the government and private sectors to embark on a discussion and address issues and concerns that hound the duck industry in the Philippines. The forum was held on 31 May- 1 June 2007 in Angeles City, Pampanga, with the theme, “Philippine duck industry: Coping with the Changing Production Systems.”

Specifically, the industry forum was conducted to disseminate recent information and technologies to duck raisers, egg processors, and distributors and equip them on how to improve and increase their production. With the presence of key players from the industry, the activity aimed to discuss current problems confronting the local duck industry, particularly on the issue of bird flu and how to abate this threat.

Ultimately, it is expected that a dynamic and effective partnership is forged between and among private players with appropriate support from the government.

Topics of papers presented during the forum included 1) Status and concerns of the Philippine duck industry; 2) Prospect for duck producers in the Philippines; 3) Duck anger; 4) Raising ducks in confinement, 5) Impact of avian influenza and other health-related issues on the duck industry, 6) Feedmilling and feeding of ducks, 7) Duck breeds and breeding, Product development and value adding of duck products, and 9) Presentation on the Candaba Swamp.

Presentations were followed by open forums, enjoining participants to inquire, comment, and suggest on the topics discussed. Information gathered from the discussions served as outputs for an industry resolution or position paper for submission to the DA Secretary with emphasis on the current industry situationer and what the government can do to support the duck industry.

Major discussions led to the identification of current problems confronting the local duck industry and production management options and innovative marketing strategies to ensure sustainability of the local duck industry.

Eggs are the most important products of the duck industry due to the increasing demand for duck eggs (fresh, balut, penoy, salted eggs, and century eggs).

One key issue brought up in the forum, duck producers association identified the need for government to intercede in elevating the duck industry to greater heights given that duck products such as salted eggs and balut as exotic products have immense potential in penetrating export markets. The need to consider organic production of ducks and duck products was also identified.

Although key issues, problems, and concerns were identified in the forum, stakeholders need to be always on the lookout as threats will continue to hound the duck industry unless these are immediately addressed and abated.

Written by Rita T. dela Cruz

Source: www.bar.gov.ph

Photos courtesy of LDC

The value of research in agriculture has much more far-reaching impact than what most of our budget allocators must be thinking.

Otherwise, they would be budgetting more than what they are providing now.

Despite the limited budget allocation, though, our agricultural researchers have been coming up with improved crops, technologies and systems that make agriculture more profitable.

Fortunately, the private sector is also contributing much to the improvement of agriculture through research. And they are apparently alloting more for research. Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc of East-West Seed Company, for instance, says that their company is allocating 14 percent of their revenue for research. That is a lot more than the percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) being alloted to research by the government.

Of course, the product of research is benefiting a lot of our farmers. In the case of hybrid vegetable seeds, for instance, every peso that the farmer spends on seeds, the return is 30 times. That’s the report on the hybrid patola seed developed in Thailand and now grown in the Philippines. The same could be true with other hybrid vegetable seeds.

With the development of outstanding hybrid seeds, the vegetable industry here can be turned into a P50-billion industry, according to Simon N. Groot, chairman of East-West Seed Company. In an exclusive interview with him, he said that it will take only 200,000 hectares devoted to vegetables to make that a reality. With the improved seeds, farmers can easily gross P250,000 per hectare. That’s equivalent to P50 billion, he explained.

It could be much more. Some farmers growing hybrid vegetables are grossing much more than P250,000 per hectare.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: www.mb.com.ph

This fruitful tomato is TM 787, a promising hybrid developed by plant breeders of East-West Seed Company. It is taller than other commercially grown hybrids which offers certain advantages, among them a longer productive life. That’s important for farmers, especially when the price of tomatoes is high. This tomato also has higher tolerance to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl (TYLC) disease than varieties that are now grown by farmers. This hybrid produces firm fruits that weigh 40 to 60 grams each. Showing TM 787 with ripening fruits are Jill Bulawan (left) and Karina van Leeuven, a Dutch senior plant breeder of East-West Seed. They say that farmers in Nueva Vizcaya who have tried planting the new hybrid are excited about it because of its excellent performance.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: www.mb.com.ph

East-West Seed Company: www.eastwestseed.com

Among plant lovers, there is that innate obsession to own something different.

That is why mutant ornamentals are often sold at exorbitant prices. There’s somebody we know, for instance, who paid P30,000 for a beautiful variegated fishtail palm.

Another paid P10,000 for a beautiful variegated Spathiphyllum Sensation. Even the variegated calamansi, a sport of the all-green variety, is also much more expensive than the standard variety. A big one could sell for P500 while the green variety of the same size may fetch only a hundred pesos or a little higher.

One mutant palm that has made a lot of growers much richer is the so-called Golden Veitchia. This is a golden mutation of the ordinary Bunga China or Veitchia merrillii. This was first discovered in the garden of Cesar Pecson in Singalong, Manila, in the mid-1980s. It came from the fruits of a Bunga China planted beside the gate of Pecson’s home.

While having merienda in Pecson’s garden, the editor of this page saw some of the seedlings that sprouted from the fallen fruits on the ground had golden leaves. He suggested to Pecson that he pot those golden seedlings and then sell them at the Baclaran plant market where he had a stall. That’s exactly what he did and was glad to sell them at only P25 per seedling. When he observed that people were buying his seedlings, Pecson raised his price. He raised all the more when the plant traders from Bangkok learned about the Golden Veitchia and bought everything that was available.

Meanwhile, the original plant continued to bear fruits that grew into golden plants. The early growers also observed that the plants were beautiful. The golden leaves didn’t suffer from sunscald so the plants were highly suitable for landscaping.

Many of the local growers made money by selling some of their full grown plants to landscapers at a high price. Some of the plants they retained bore fruit and they also produced Golden Veitchia seedlings which they were able to sell at a good price. The Golden Veitchia has made not a few growers not just a little richers.

In Thailand, the Nong Nooch Garden Resort is now growing Golden Veitchia by the hectares and is selling them at a high price.

Where do you find mutant plants? They could be found anywhere. In a nursery that germinates a lot of seeds, some seedlings occasionally come out variegated. At the Teresa Orchard & Nursery there are variegated jackfruit, mango and Abiu that emerged from thousands of seedlings.

Some owners don’t realize the money-making potentials of such mutants so they just ignore them. They might even discard them. If you find such an owner, you might as well offer to buy his plants. He might even give them to you for free because he does not know they are valuable.

Some people resort to high-tech means to induce mutation. We know a doctorate holder in agriculture from Los Baños who used to induce variegation by subjecting the seeds to irradiation.

He had been quite successful in inducing variegation not only in ornamental plants but also in forest and fruit-bearing trees.

What is important in the collection of mutants is that the mutation should be stable. The plant should not revert to the original condition of the mother plant.

Creative technique

Here is a creative way of using bachelor’s button (Gomphrena globosa) flowers. At left are flowers pinned on a round styrofoam. The flowers on styrofoam are then used in a flower arrangement at right, using fronds of birdsnest leaves as foliage. The arrangement makes a dramatic flower arrangement in a hotel lobby. (Ben S. Vergara)

Spectacular bridal boquet

This floriferous Bridal Bouquet (Porana paniculata) makes a showy tree in the garden of Dr. Benito S. Vergara in Los Baños, Laguna. Its flowering in November is a harbinger of cool days ahead. The sweet mild scent adds to the spectacular display of this plant.

Variegated mango

Dr. Benito S. Vergara spotted this striking variegated mango at the recent flower and garden show in Los Baños. Note the mature leaves turning green. This will enable the plant to grow faster unlike the almost albino sports that are difficult to grow and need shade to protect the leaves from sunburn. Dr. Vergara, a national scientist, suggests that garden enthusiasts should be taught some fundamentals of plant breeding and plant selection, and how to propagate a sport or mutant plant. The Philippines, he says, is rich in sport production, like the many-colored multibract bougainvillea which was first identified in the Philippines, and the Golden Veitchia which is now popular in the tropics.

Variegated octupus tree is one of the mutants that came out many years ago. Despite the long years that it has been with collectors, it is still a rarity because the owners don’t want to multiply it in big numbers. They apparently want to keep it to themselves. As it is, it’s a status symbol to own one. That’s why plant collectors don’t want to multiply it in big numbers.

This variegated fern is a mutant of the all-green variety. It is the kind that many plant collectors are looking for and are willing to pay a high price.

Variegated yucca

This is a mutant of the all-green Yucca. It was bought by a well-to-do plant collector who exhibited it in a garden show. It easily won a first prize in the plant competition. All the more, the price went up. Even the small propagations could fetch a high price. Many people in the plant business are on the look out for unusual mutants because such plants could bring them a fortune. Moneyed plant collectors don’t mind paying a high price for plants they like, especially those one of a kind.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: www.mb.com.ph

Mass producing the fragrant Kamuning

Kamuning or Murraya paniculata is a small tree that is famous for its fragrant white flowers that smell like jasmine. Native to Southeast Asia, China and the Malay peninsula, kamuning or Orange Jasmine has pear-shaped leaflets that are dark green and glossy. After each blooming period, its white blossoms turn into orange and scarlet fruits.

KamuningBefore, kamuning was usually planted as a hedge or accent shrub for landscaping purposes. Today, its glossy evergreen foliage is more popular as fillers in flower arrangements. Recent surveys show that fillers now occupy a substantial share in the cutflower business. A recent survey says that cut foliage or fillers make up almost a third of bouquets compared to 5% 10 years ago. To meet the increasing demand for foliage plants, the Institute of Plant Breeding of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (IPB-UPLB) has identified techniques to mass produce kamuning successfully. There are two ways to mass propagate kamuning, either through stem cuttings or seeds.

Propagation by stem cuttings

1. Preparation of stem cuttings

Secure healthy and woody 13-20 cm long stem cuttings. Remove 5-8 cm of the terminal stem to allow faster rooting. Choose cuttings with mature leaves.

Place the newly harvested cuttings in polyethylene plastic bags then sprinkle with water to prevent from drying. Seal the bags with rubber bands.

2. The kulob method

Kamuning stem cuttings root faster in the kulob method wherein the whole system is enclosed in a polypropylene plastic bag. This method helps to maintain the humidity needed to initiate rooting. For extensive rooting, use appropriate media and rooting hormones. The steps involved in this method are as follows:

* Prepare rooting medium composed of an equal mixture combination of sand and coirdust. Drench with 1 tbsp fungicide dissolved in 4 liters of water.
* Dip cuttings either in “quick root powder” or in 50 ppm alpha napthalene acetic acid (ANAA) or Hormex for 30 minutes.
* Stick the cuttings, 4 cm deep, in a 6×6x11 plastic bag containing the medium. Use bigger pots if more cuttings will be planted. A maximum of 4-6 cuttings can be planted in a 6×6x11 plastic pot.
* Enclose the whole system with a polypropylene plastic bag and seal with rubber bands.
* Place the kulob plants under shade.

3. Transplanting

After 6-8 weeks, roots are already established. Transplant rooted cuttings as follows:

* Transplant individually in 6×6x11 plastic bags containing either an equal mixture of sand and coir dust or soil and coir dust.
* Acclimatize transplanted plants under partial shade for one week before exposing them to full sunlight. Well-established kamuning plants can tolerate both partial shade and full sunlight conditions.
* After one week, apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14) at 2 tbsp in 4 liters of water. Repeat every other week. Apply urea (46-0-0) at 1 tbsp. dissolved in 4 liters of water once a month. Slow release fertilizer (17-17-17) could be applied once in every three months. Plants that are transplanted should not be fertilized too often.
* Water the plants daily during the dry season and minimally during the rainy season.

Propagation by seeds

1. Preparation of seeds

* Harvest ripened seeds from the mother plant. Ripe seeds may be orange/red orange to deep red depending on the variety or strain of the plant.
* Soak the seeds in water for 3 days . After 3 days, remove the pulp of the seeds and wash with clean water.
* Air-dry the seeds for a few hours before sowing.

2. Germination

* Sow the seeds by spreading them evenly in a polyethylene bag containing an equal combination of either the following mixture: sand + coconut coirdust or burnt ricehull + sawdust.
* Cover the seeds with 1 cm layer of the medium and place in a shaded area.
* Water the seeds only when the surface of the medium appears dry.

3. Transplanting
* Kamuning seeds usually germinate 2-8 weeks after sowing. Transplant seedlings one week after germination or when the first pair of leaves emerges.
* Transplant individually in a 2.5×2.5×5 plastic bag containing an equal combination of any of the following medium:
- garden soil + coirdust
- sand + coirdust
- burnt ricehull + coirdust.
* Keep the newly transplanted plants in the shade for at least one month. Kamuning seedlings grow best under partial shade. Direct sunlight causes yellowing and scorching of the leaves.
* Apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14) two weeks after germination at 1 tbsp/4 L of water. Repeat every other week. Urea (46-0-0) at 1 tbsp/4 L of water should also be applied once a month.
* Water the plants daily during the dry season and minimally during the rainy season.

(For more information, please contact: Dr. Joy Eusebio of the Crops Research Division, PCCARD Los Baños , Laguna at tel no. 049 536-0014 to 536-0020.)

Source: www.bar.gov.ph

Written by Junelyn S. de la Rosa

October-December 2001
Volume 3 No. 4

SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro – There are no roads, only foot trails and bancas to reach Ilin and Ambulong, two of the three islands off San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro.

With their rich and unique biodiversity, Ilin and Ambulong have been chosen by the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBCFI) as sites for its efforts to save the vanishing Philippine Teak, locally known as “malabayabas.”

Despite strong rain, schoolchildren and residents have been planting the native trees in the two islands since July. On Aug. 20 and Aug. 26, the islanders planted more trees—proving that with genuine community organizing and sincere project management, conservation of the species is a “mission possible.”

As they eased the seedlings from the recovery chambers, nursery technicians Emmanuel Lagrada and Eljesovelt Orsos quipped, “Now we realize that it is really so easy to destroy the forest but so hard to restore it.”

Dr. Emelina Mandia, team leader of the conservation project, estimated that 2,500 propagules of the native trees had been planted within the so-called biological corridor, a strip of forest connecting the remaining highly fragmented teak forests on the islands.

Mandia, a Biology professor at De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila and founding member of the MBCFI, said the seedlings came from a nursery established by the foundation in September last year.

The Philippine Teak is found only in San Juan and Lobo towns in Batangas, and in Ilin and Ambulong, she said. It is considered an endangered species by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature and has been declared the Philippines’ flagship species for tree conservation.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom, through the Flora and Fauna International Flagship Species Fund, has provided program funding for 15 months.

Global warming defense

According to Mandia, only a few but highly scattered population of the vanishing Philippine Teak have remained due to logging and habitat destruction. “Its wood was a major material in the construction of Philippine railroads,” she said.

But the trees are not being planted to meet construction needs but to restore the habitat and population of the threatened flora and fauna and as food and shelter for local birds and mammals, Mandia explained.

“More stable forests mean continuous supply of fresh water, cooler surroundings, more silt-free rivers and seas and better protection from calamities while maintaining stable carbon sinks, our best defense against global warming,” she said.

She emphasized the need for not simply planting the trees but for nurturing them. “They are like kids that need our care before they could make it on their own.”

The best people to make this possible are the islanders of Ilin and Ambulong themselves, the natural caregivers of the Philippine Teak.

“At first, I thought this conservation project was too ambitious to win the cooperation of the people, especially because it ran counter to their source of livelihood,” said community organizer Rolando “Boy” Ilustre, who is also an MBCFI member.

Charcoal making is the main source of livelihood of the islanders. After a few weeks of convincing them, and with regular discussions in local radio programs, Malabayabas became a byword. Ilustre is now even being addressed as “Mr. Malabayabas.”

Eight barangays have passed resolutions to ban tree-cutting and fire-making in the remaining teak forests, while others are enacting similar measures, Ilustre said.

He organized a conservation group, “Bukluran para sa Punong Malabayabas sa Isla ng Ilin at Ambulong,” to serve as his local partners.

“At least 250 elementary and high school students in three barangays have participated in the tree-planting activities,” said Eleuterio Orsos, president of Bukluran and chair of Barangay Ipil.

Students, together with their parents, planted their seedlings.

Ilustre commended the all-out support of the village officials, especially barangay chair Adel Declito of Iling Proper, who helped him organize in the community.

Aside from Bukluran members, barangay officials of both islands, landowners, members of the Rotary Club of San Jose-Tamaraw, Philippine National Red Cross, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police Mobile Group and the Ilin Value-Added Management of Forest Services helped in the tree-planting activities.

“What is helping us most is perhaps the people’s own observation of their barren lands, the obvious decline of plant and animal life, the stronger typhoons and prolonged drought hitting them,” said Ilustre.

Biological corridor

The MBCFI will entrust a good number of the native trees to every school in Ilin and Ambulong to be planted and nurtured along the biological corridor.

In June and September last year, it organized assemblies among the local partners. In April and July this year, it conducted seminars on basic ecology and island dynamics.

Students and some faculty members of the DLSU-Manila have also been actively involved in the conservation efforts by sponsoring the trees planted by the island students.

A unique feature of the project is the local cooperative put up by the foundation in January to sustain the conservation efforts. At first, the cooperative was composed of Bukluran members, but now, it is open to non-islanders.

Each capital share of the members has a corresponding number of trees that will be obtained from the project’s nursery and planted.

Plans are also afoot for the microfinancing of selected alternative livelihood projects of the cooperative members.

IN THE KNOW

By Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research

PHILIPPINE Teak (scientific name: Tectona philippinensis) is an endangered tree found only in Batangas and Mindoro. (It is also found on Mt. Banahaw. Ed) The small to medium-sized tree has a flaky bark and bears light purple flowers. It produces hardwood timber that is used for firewood and construction.

Philippine Teak is threatened by the destruction of its habitat and over-exploitation for timber. It also does not help that the timber of immature trees is preferred to that of mature trees. Because fewer trees reach reproductive age, the survival of the specie is endangered.

Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/sosy/sosy/view_article.php?article_id=89909

By Madonna Virola
Inquirer

Posted date: September 21, 2007