DOST-PCAARRD, NSIC Boost Ornamental, Medicinal Plants R&D

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology strengthened its support for ornamental and medicinal plants research and development during a recent meeting with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry’s National Seed Industry Council and industry experts.

The Philippine ornamental plants industry presents promising avenues for commercial production, while medicinal plants remain largely untapped.

Recognizing these opportunities, the National Seed Industry Council’s Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Varietal Improvement Group gathered researchers and industry experts as part of its commitment to formulate and institutionalize varietal evaluation and registration of various commodities.

The meeting was co-hosted by DOST-PCAARRD, DA-BPI, and the Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Food Science of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

DOST-PCAARRD’s Crops Research Division Director Leilani D. Pelegrina served as the meeting’s resource speaker and presented significant strides in ornamental and medicinal plants R&D through ongoing and completed projects under the Council’s Industry Strategic Science and Technology Program.

Among these accomplishments are newly registered hoya and hibiscus varieties, characterization of putative Alocasia mutants for further generation advancement, discovery of lagundi species native to the Philippines, identification of promising medicinal plant accessions, development of a low-cost DNA extraction method, and the implementation of technology transfer, capacity-building, and policy analysis initiatives.

Dr. Cecilia C. Almontero of the Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, expressed gratitude to DOST-PCAARRD on behalf of agriculture students who completed their undergraduate studies through Council-provided grants and support.

“These students are the future workers, researchers, and scientists of the sector, and we shall help them see that research is indeed inviting by providing a conducive environment for their thesis and research activities,” Pelegrina said, recognizing the role of manpower development in reviving the ornamental and medicinal plants industries.

Outgoing VIG Chair and Scientist Fernando B. Aurigue emphasized the timely recognition of different medicinal plant varieties, marking the group’s first engagement in varietal registration.

The draft general guidelines for the evaluation and registration of medicinal plants was one of the key outputs of the meeting, reviewed and refined by the VIG members.

Also present at the meeting were DOST-PCAARRD’s ISP Manager for Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Kimberly Zarah B. Locsin and Ercieline A. De Torres from the Crops Research Division.

Participants also visited Microgrow Garden, owned by Anna Maria G. Valenzuela, a DOST-PCAARRD collaborator on ornamental plants.

The visit provided insights into the industry landscape from a private sector perspective.