Lab Tested, Field Approved: The New Formula for Farming Success

The Department of Agriculture (DA) just inaugurated two new laboratories in Los Baños, Laguna, that can redefine the country's approach to growing crops and managing pests. The Biological Control Agent (BioCon) Facility and the Tissue Culture Laboratory, which were inaugurated on June 26, were a component of a ₱6 million project that aims to revolutionize farming with science and sustainability.

 

Key Highlights:

 

Disease-Free Planting Materials: Disease-free and high-quality plantlets of banana, garlic, ginger, ube, and ornamental plants will be supplied by the Tissue Culture Laboratory. This is especially crucial for the banana sector, which is still struggling with Fusarium wilt.

BioPest Control: BioCon Facility will produce in large quantities biological agents such as earwigs and beneficial fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana. These eco-friendly alternatives attempt to reduce the use of chemical pesticides while protecting yields.

Integrated Approach: Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that a combination of clean planting materials and natural pesticides is a "synergistic solution" to climatic challenges and productivity decline.

Support to Smallholders: The facilities will be accessible to commercial farmers and smallholder farmers, availing to them subsidized access to resilient crops and pest control devices.

Research and Innovation Hub: Located in the Los Baños National Crop Research, Development, and Production Support Center, the facilities are all under one umbrella to boost the climate resilience and technological development of Philippine agriculture.

 

This two-farm introduction is a new direction toward smarter, more sustainable farming—where science and soil come together to ensure the nation's food future.

 

Sources: Philippine News Agency, Department of Agriculture, Context.ph