Dried Mahogany Fruits are Alternative for Fuel

DRIED MAHOGANY FRUITS ARE ALTERNATIVE FOR FUEL

 By: Felix B. Daray (published in the Agriculture Magazine of the Manila

                                    Bulletin Publishing Corporation, May 2011)

MAHOGANY FRUITS are often thrown away. What most people do not know is that the dried pulps are good substitute of charcoal and firewood.

“Four dried pulps are enough to boil a liter of water,” says,  Maregien Abrasaldo, science teacher of Aplaya Elementary School in  Digos City.

 “To have a good burning effect, the pulps should be dried for one day. If used in  clay stove , the pulps should be chopped into smaller pieces, like charcoal.”

Abrasaldo has taken her own advise and it has serve her well for she has reduced her LPG usage by  50%.

Her co- teachers have also tried using dried mahogany fruits as fuel, After all, mahoganies abound in the school because since 1990, graduating pupils are required to plant trees.

Known as a hard wood, mahogany is a fast-growing forest trees commonly made into furniture or used in construction materials. More importantly, mahoganies effectively prevent soil erosion and flood hence these are often planted along river banks. Mahogany trees do not bear flower but grow buds which develop into brown oblong fruit. The fruits fall when they mature, and the dried ones break spreading on the ground.

Pupils of Aplaya are asked to collect fallen fruits for fuel and seeds  for school’s plant nursery . The school has to grow more mahoganies as it has partnered with the local government, Department of Education, and a group of environmentalist in a project to conserve and prevent soil erosion along the banks of Digos River.

Interesting Canmote Recipes

INTERESTING CAMOTE RECIPES

By:  Felix B. Daray, (published in the Agriculture Magazine, March 2011 issue of the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp.)

CHEAPER AND MORE NUTRITIOUS than rice, sweet potato or  camote can be prepared into interesting recipes.

       The tops of the native purple for instance are good for salad and the wter used in cooking  the tops can be made into juice. These are very easy to pepare. Here’s how.

CAMOTE SALAD

1. Remove the boiled tops and set aside to cool.
2. Mix it with sliced ginger, onion, and tomatoes with tuba venigar.
3. Mix it with bagoong or ginamos to taste.

      Camote tops are also an ingredient in tinulang isda or pork sinabaw. The tubers, on one hand, are a good substitute for rice. In fact to save rice, in rural areas the tubers are chopped and cooked with rice. Boholanos call this meal saksak.

CAMOTE JUICE WITH CALAMANSI

1. Strain the water used in boiling the camote tops.
2. Transfer the stock in a container and add calamansi juice and sugar to taste.
3. Rrefrigerate and serve cool.

     The juice turns purple-violet when the calamansi is added. Green camote tops can be used, too.

     In terms of nutritional value, sweet potato is rich in calories and vitamins A and C. It  also contains carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, sodium, folic acids, calcium, manganese, potassium, and vitamins B6 and E.

     On production, camote is easier to grow than rice.  It can be planted in backyards without applying fertilizers.J

Tips on Mango Production

Tips on Mango Production

(Published in the Agriculture Magazine of the Manila Bulletin, January 2011)

   By: Felix Daray

There  are many factors that affect mango production. Number one is excessive rain during pollination . Too much rain results in few fruits developed. Second is pest infestation, which may be severe in some instances. Third is erratic price. But mango growers shouldn’t be discourage by the rise and fall of the price for mango is a certified moneymaker. This is one of the things  I learned as a mango grower for the last 12 years, and I would like to share some more. Here are some tips on mango production:

Use pactrobutrazol (cultar) during the maturation of the leaves. By using this chemical, you can induce mango plants four months earlier. Apply it three months after when the latest buds are maturing. Do not apply to trees ten years old or below, when the trees are weak or sickly, and when the leaves are matured.

Induce mango plants when the leaves of the latest buds are fully matured. I suggest to use Calcium Nitrate or Potassium Nitrate. Apply follow up spray after two days with the same formulation to enhance the emergence of flowers. Use 1 to 2 percent of CaN when the trees are maturing and when the  weather is cloudy. In spraying potassium nitrate, prepare 1 to 3 percent solution depending on the condition of the tree. Or mix 4 kilos per 200 liters of water. Use Apsa-80 as sticker.

Spray for pest control. Spraying should be done when the tree and the leaves are dry, and when no expected rain for the next six hours. If possible, spray in the early morning (from sunrise to nine o’clock) or late in the afternoon (from four to six o’clock) to prevent leaf burning due to sunlight.

Inspect flowers everyday to prevent pest infestation. After 12 days, when the flowers start to emerge, spray insecticide and fungicide. The flowers would be fully developed after 20 days. At this time, flowers are susceptible to, pest, so inspect the plants every day to see if  there are damages caused by insects and spray appropriate pesticide. Do not touch the flowers during pollination or 26 to 32 days after induction. However, if pest are so severe right away using fine nozzle.

Spray insecticide and fungicide. These  chemicals may be applied together. Spray to flowers, totally wetting but not dripping. Use clean water.

Bag the fruits. Do this at 65 to 75 days from induction to control fruit fly and other sucking insects. Spray the fruits with insecticide and fungicide before bagging—this is the last spray. Do not bag the fruits early as malformed fruits cannot be determined yet. Late bagging, on one hand, results in early fruit fly infestation.

Harvest fruits 105 to 110 days from induction. Early harvesting results in poor quality; ripe fruits taste sour. Supervise harvesting to ensure proper handling to minimize, if not prevent the fruits from being damaged.  Also fix the price first before harvest. Do not harvest if there is no down payment, that is, 80 percent of the estimated gross weight.

Of course, I take my own advice. I apply these tips with my 2 hectares in Kibuaya, Hagonoy, Davao del Sur. It is planted to 150 grafted  Cebu mango. Last December, 2010, I harvest 9.5 tons and I sold my produce at P30 per kilo. A bout 75 persent of my mango trees are fruiting and the rest are flushing.

Organic Ampalaya in the Backyard

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ORGANIC AMPALAYA IN THE BACKYARD

by : Felix B. Daray, (published in the Agriculture Magazine, Sept. 2010)

LIKE MANY PEOPLE , my favorite pastime is gardening. It is my relief from stress and source of joy, especially when it’s harvest time.

These days, I am growing organic ampalaya in my backyard. I enjoy sharing my harvest with my friends and neighbors. Likewise, I like to impart my little knowledge on it.
I suggest to those who plan to grow ampalaya in the backyard to plant it in an area that is exposed to sunlight. They should also plant the crop near a compost pit. Eight months after the biodegradable waste decomposed, sow two seeds near the pit.

As soon as the vines start growing and crawling up on the trellis, water the plant with rice wash or fish wash or meat wash .It would be best for the plants as they are very rich in nutrients and minerals.
To prevent infestation, bag the fruits with cellophane or old newsprints as soon as the flowers fall down. Doing so would hinder sucking insects and fruit flies to lay eggs on the young fruits.

I also inspect my ampalaya plants every morning to see if there are tiny holes or scratches on the leaves. These are indications that the plants are infested by pin worms or cutworms, which I remove manually .I also suggest that biodegradable waste be burned under the trellis in the early morning or late afternoon as the smoke will drive insects away.
In fact, I grow the native variety as it is resistant to pest. It is shorter to other cultivars but it has thicker pulp.

I start to harvest after 45 days. And for about 90 days, I pick one to two fruits every other day. Like most households, my family often cooks pinakbet or ampalaya con egg. And we don’t mind its bitter taste as we know it’s because ampalaya contains momordicin, a compound found to be effective in treating diabetes.

GRAFTING BOUGAINVILLEA

Written by Felix Daray, published in Agriculture Magazine, July 2010 issue

Bougainvillea is a beautiful flowering plant that is easy to grow. But it could be more beautiful when grafted, which means it will be more marketable , too.

One plant grower who sell grafted bougainvillea is Reynaldo Balansag. of Cabligan, Matanao, Davao del Sur. He got this idea in 2008 when he accompanied his friend to as well-known flower garden in Davao City. It was there Rey first saw beautiful, multicolored grafted bougainvillea plants.

He was so attracted to bougainvillea plants that he became curious on how to grow these. So even though with his little knowledge on grafting he learned from high school and from his friend who worked in the flower garden, he tried to do it in his flower garden in Cabligan.

What Rey does is that he buys big potted bougainvillea plants and uses these as rootstocks. When he first tried it, he used rootstocks measuring 2 cm to 5 cm in diameter. “The biggest rootstock I grafted is 10 cm in diameter. And I couldn’t believe I did it, said Rey.

For Each rootstock, he inserts three scions of different colors. The plants will bloom after six months.

“Bougainvillea will thrive is almost any soil as long as it is well drained and fertile. At least five hours of exposure to full sunlight is the minimal sunlight requirement for full bloom. Less than that, the plants may not bloom well, but have satisfactory vegetative growth.” says Rey.

“Do not apply fertilizer to dry soil. Use complete fertilizer and apply it every two weeks.” To lessen production cost, use organic fertilizers with humus soil. Moreover, since this flowering plant is not susceptible to fungus, furthers Rey, then there’s no need for insecticide.

Reys sells these at P600 to P800 each depending on the color and the size of the rootstock. The most attractive species, he said, is the variegated bougainvillea from China. Its leaves have three colors: gray pink and light green.

Rey also propagates and sells other ornamental plants, but it’s the grafted bougainvillea that amazes him the most. This is because “from ordinary flowering pots, bougainvillea when grafted turns into an exotic plant.

By Felix B. Daray

Growing Pechay in Pots

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Growing Pechay in Pots
by: Felix Daray, published in Agriculture Magazine,July 2009


Gardening has always been a favorite pastime of many people including me. That’s simply because it’s a relief from stress and brings joy, especially when it’s harvest time.

I am growing pechay organically in my backyard. I have 15 pots planted to pechay, and I enjoy sharing my harvest with my friends and neighbors. Likewise, I want to share my little knowledge on backyard gardening for the benefit of those who are interested in it, too.

I suggest to those who are planning to establish a garden to select an area that is exposed to sunlight and is near the kitchen. With the garden being one stone’s throw away from the kitchen, it would be convenient to water the crops with rice wash or with fish or meat wash, which are all good for the plants as these contain nutrients and minerals. Preventing infestation would be easy, too, as it would be easy to see
from the kitchen window the condition of the crops.

I also suggest that they construct a stand to elevate the pots to maximize use of space. Fill the pots with humus soil or compost. Plant one seed in small pots and two in bigger pots through direct seeding. When the pechay begins to sprout, start to water the same with either rice wash or fish- wash or meat wash.

As for pest management, I inspect my pechay plants every morning to see if there are tiny holes or scratches on the leaves. These are indications that the plants are infested with small pin worms or cutworms. I remove these greenish black worms using a stick and puller.

I start to harvest after 30 days. I do not uproot pechay plants until these start flowering. Pechay grow up to four months. Replace the soil in the pots with new garden soil and replant again.

By Felix B. Daray

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The Booming Mango Industry of San Roque, Digos City

by Felix Daray, published in Agriculture Magazine,Manila Bulletin, March 2009

San Roque is a remote barangay in Digos City. Corn was the staple, food in this town in the 1940s, and then in 1970, some farmers started to plant sugarcane as their main crop. But since the price of sugar fluctuated, they shifted to mango production, which has been booming up to now due to the high demand of both export and local markets.

About 75 percent of the mangoes produced in Digos City came from San Roque, hence it is dubbed as the “mango country of Digos City.” More and more farmers are venturing in mango growing because they earn twice of their income from sugarcane. I am one of them. Like my neighbors, I planted my 2-hectare lot to grafted “Mango Cebu”, a sweet and juicy variety.

But the first farmer in San Roque who has succeeded in mango production is Arnold Nebria. He started as a tenant, and with his net profit, he bought agricultural lands and planted these to mangoes. Today, he grosses an average of P1 million every harvest. Another successful farmer is Victoriano Ramos. In September 2008, this 70-year-old farmer and councilman of San Roque has earned almost a million pesos from mangoes.

That’s how profitable mango growing could be. Yet, a capital of P80,000 is needed to start a 1-hectare mango farm, and the harvest, of course, depends on how well the production has gone through.

Regarding production, it is ideal to spray for flowering when the leaves of the latest buds matured. The buds usually mature after nine months. Spraying can be done earlier if the chemicals used are for hastening the maturity of the leaves. Insecticides and fungicides are sprayed at the same time since most of these are compatible with the fertilizer.

To control sucking insects, wrap the fruits with newspapers at 65-70 days. The fruits are ready for harvest after 105-110 days from the first day of spraying for flowering.

Based on my sampling, a 10-year-old mango tree will bear an average of 500 kilos of fruits. So in 1 ha with an average of 70 trees, 35,000 kilos of mangoes could be harvested. If a kilo sells at P20, a gross income of P700,000 could be earned from 1 ha in one harvest or P1.4 million in a year.

The fruits also undergo quality control. The biggest fruits without spots and rusts are mark as, first class and are exported to Hong Kong and China. Second class fruits or those which are of medium size are shipped to Manila, while the third class are sold in the local market.

The biggest problem in mango production, however, is successive and excessive rain during pollination stage. Pollen grains are washed out and thus, few fruits are developed. At this point, the price of mango drops to as low as P10 if there is no export. Farmers can only break even if the price is at least P15 per kilo, but that, of course, still depends on the supply and demand.

On the other hand, this shouldn’t discourage farmers from venturing in mango production. Remember, says Benito Ayop, another successful mango producer in San Roque, “Farming is like gambling. Although you spend and work hard, sometimes you win or lose. Don’t stop and think positive that you will recover next harvest.”

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