Ban on poultry from Austria lifted
By goGreen | April 27, 2012
THE Philippines has lifted the six-year ban it imposed on poultry meat and other poultry products from Austria after the government got confirmation that it is already free from the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued Memorandum Order (MO) 11 series of 2012, which authorized the lifting the ban on poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, domestic and wild birds from Austria.
“Based on the evaluation of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Austria is negligible,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala in his memo.
The DA imposed the ban on March 1, 2006 after Vienna confirmed the outbreak of HPAI to the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE).
“Austria [was] found positive for H5N1,” said former Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban in MO 9 series of 2006.
Aside from poultry products from Austria, the DA also slapped a temporary ban on poultry products and domestic and wild birds from Malaysia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While the Philippines does not consider Austria as a major source of poultry products, the DA noted that travelers may bring in pet birds and poultry products from there.
Manila imposes a temporary ban on countries where the OIE confirmed outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza and mad cow disease as a precautionary measure to protect human health and the local livestock population.
So far, the Philippines is among the few countries in Asia that remains free from avian influenza.
Source: Business Mirror
Topics: News & Updates | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Hagonoy (Wedelia biflora Linn.)
By goGreen | April 27, 2012
Family • Asteraceae
Hagonoi
Wedelia biflora Linn.
VERBA DE MALUCO
Other Scientific names | Common names |
| Spilanthes acmella Blanco | Agonoi (Bis., Ilk.) |
| Spilanthes peregrina Blanco | Agunoi (Bik.) |
| Stemmodontia biflora W.F. Wight | Anoinoi (IV.) |
| Verbesina biflora Linn. | Hagonoi (Tag., Bik., C. Bis.) |
| Wollastonia biflora D.C. | Lagoron (Bag.) |
| Lahunai (Sul.) | |
| Palunag (Pamp.) | |
| Palunai (Pamp.) | |
| Salonai (Ilk.) | |
| Verba de Maluco (Sp.) | |
| Wedelia (Engl.) | |
| Marjej |
Botany
A climbing, rough, herbaceous vine. Leaves are opposite, ovate, 6 to 8 cm long, with pointed tips and rounded bases, rather coarsely toothed margins. Stalks are 3 to 6 cm long. Head are 3 cm in diameter, numbering 1 to 3, stalks about 7 to 10 cm long. Involucral bracts are narrowly oblong, somewhat recurved. Disk flowers are numerous and yellowish.
Distribution
Abundant in thickets, along tidal streams throughout the Philippines.
Properties and constituents
Roots are stomachic, leaves are diuretic and vulnerary.
Parts used
Roots, leaves.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
Coffee Grounds For Gardening
By goGreen | April 26, 2012
Whether you make your cup of coffee daily or you have noticed your local coffee house has started to put out bags of used coffee, you may be wondering about composting with coffee grounds. Are coffee grounds as fertilizer a good idea? And how do coffee grounds used for gardens help or hurt? Keep reading to learn more about coffee grounds and gardening.
Composting Coffee Grounds
Composting with coffee is a great way to make use of something that would otherwise end up taking up space in a landfill. Composting coffee grounds helps to add nitrogen to your compost pile.
Composting coffee grounds is as easy as throwing the used coffee grounds onto your compost pile. Used coffee filters can be composted as well.
If you will be adding used coffee grounds to your compost pile, keep in mind that they are considered green compost material and will need to be balanced with the addition of some brown compost material.
Coffee Grounds As Fertilizer
Used coffee grounds for gardening does not end with compost. Many people choose to place coffee grounds straight onto the soil and use it as a fertilizer. The thing to keep in mind is while coffee grounds add nitrogen to your compost, they will not immediately add nitrogen to your soil.
The benefit of using coffee grounds as a fertilizer is that it adds organic material to the soil, which improves drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil. The used coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms.
Many people feel that coffee grounds lower the pH (or raise the acid level) of soil which is good for acid lovin plants. But, this is only true for unwashed coffee grounds. If you rinse your used coffee grounds, they will have a near nuetral pH of 6.5 and will not affect the acid levels of the soil.
To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the coffee grounds into the soil around your plants.
Other Uses For Used Coffee Grounds In Gardens
Coffee grounds can also be used in your garden for other things. Many gardeners like to use used coffee grounds as a mulch for their plants.
Other used for coffee grounds include using it to keep slugs and snails away from plants. The theory is that the caffeine in the coffee grounds negatively affects these pests and so they avoid soil where the coffee grounds are found.
Some people also claim that coffee grounds on the soil is a cat repellent and will keep cats from using your flower and veggie beds as a litter box.
You can also use coffee grounds as worm food if you do vermicomposting with a worm bin. Worms are very fond of coffee grounds.
Coffee grounds and gardening go together naturally. Whether you are composting with coffee grounds or using used coffee grounds around the yard, you will find that coffee can give your garden as much of a pick me up as it does for you.
Whether you make your cup of coffee daily or you have noticed your local coffee house has started to put out bags of used coffee, you may be wondering about composting with coffee grounds. Are coffee grounds as fertilizer a good idea? And how do coffee grounds used for gardens help or hurt? Keep reading to learn more about coffee grounds and gardening.
SOURCE: Entrepinoy ATBP
Topics: Farming Methods, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Limonsito (Triphasia trifolia P. Wils.)
By goGreen | April 26, 2012
Family • Rutaceae
Limonsito
Triphasia trifolia P. Wils.
LIME BERRY
Scientific names | Common names |
| Limonia trifolia Burm. f. | Kalamansito (Ilk., Ibn.) |
| Limonia trifoliata Linn. | Kamalitos (Tag.) |
| Triphasia trifoliata DC. | Limoncito (Span.) |
| Triphasia aurantiola Lour. | Limonsitong-kastila (Bik.) |
| Sua-sua (Bik.) | |
| Suang-kastila (Bik.) | |
| Tagimunau (Neg.) | |
| Limeberry (Engl.) | |
| Myrtle lime (Engl.) | |
| Trifoliate limeberry (Engl.) | |
| Triphasia (Engl.) |
Botany
Limonsito Smooth shrub growing to a height of 2 meters. The leaf has two sharp and slender spines at the base. The short-petioled leaves have three leaflets, ovate to oblong-ovate, the terminal one 2 to 4 cm long; the lateral ones, smaller. The margins are crenate. Flowers are very short-stalked, white, fragrant, and about 1 cm long. Fruit is ovoid, fleshy and red, somewhat resinous, about 12 mm long.
Distribution
- Throughout the Philippines, in thickets and settled areas; in some places gregarious and abundant.
- Introduced; probably Chinese in origin.
- Pantropic in cultivation.
- Naturalized in many countries.
- Cultivated for its ornamental fragrant flower and edible red fruit. Attractive as a garden hedge.
Parts utilized
Leaves and fruits.
Constituents and Properties
• Berries are lemon-scented.
• Fragrant white flowers have a scent of orange blossoms.
• Leaves exude a resinous scent when bruised.
• Considered antifungal and antibacterial.
• Study yielded a new bicoumarin from the leaves and stems; the two coumarinic moieties are derivatives of mexoticin and meranzin hydrate.
• From the oil 81 compounds were identified, the main constituent was germacrene B.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
2012 coco-sap sugar exports may go up to 100,000 kilos
By goGreen | April 26, 2012
LOCAL producers of coco-sap sugar may increase their shipments by 42.8 percent to 100,000 kilograms as the demand increased this year, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) projected on Wednesday.
PCA Administrator Euclides G. Forbes said in a statement that increasing demand for coconut-sap sugar is due to the growing awareness for health foods.
“Coconut-sap sugar has a great potential as natural and cheaper alternative to more expensive sweeteners in the market,” said Forbes.
Last year PCA figures show that coconut-sap sugar exports went up by 92.78 percent to 70,000 kilos. In 2010 the country exported 36,310 kilos of coconut-sap sugar.
Compared to the 2009 figure, PCA said exports of local coconut sap sugar went up by 224.2 percent to 36,310 kilos in 2010.
“The increase in coco sap sugar exports was driven by global health concerns specifically diabetes and obesity,” said Forbes, adding that they are projecting a possible increase to 100,000 kilograms in the volume of coco-sap sugar exports this year.
Citing statistics from the World Health Organization, the PCA said there are around 346 million people diabetic worldwide.
“We are anticipating that these people are the possible users of coco-sap sugar,” he said.
Based on the studies conducted by Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, coco sap sugar has a low glycemic index (GI) of 35 compared to regular cane sugar, thus it can be recommended for diabetics.
The PCA said coconut-sap sugar is now being exported to 11 countries namely, Japan, the United States, Middle East, South Korea, Hong Kong, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, France, Australia and New Zealand. The US is considered as the top buyer of coconut-sap sugar.
Source: Business Mirror
Topics: Agri-Business, News & Updates | No Comments »
Country To Export More Sugar To US
By goGreen | April 25, 2012
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will be exporting more sugar to the United States (US) at a lower tax rate or tariff with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) giving the country additional quota allocations of 75,540 metric tons (MT), bringing to 204,367 MT the total country allocation for the year.
The country gets the second biggest share in the US sugar quota allocations this year, next to Brazil, which according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) translates to 72,373.653 MT of shippable and commercial value tariff-rate quota (TRQ) sugar.
This quantity is in addition to the minimum amount to which the US is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements.
TRQs allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the US at a relatively low tariff, but subject all imports of the product above a pre-determined threshold to a higher tariff.
The 75,540 MT is on top of the 138,827 MT already assigned to the Philippines by the USTR.
The USTR said the allocation for the Philippines for the current fiscal year was based on the country’s historical shipments to the US, as well as consultations with quota-holding countries.
SRA was quoted as saying earlier that the country is ready to supply the additional sugar requirement of the US should it get incremental allocation under the TRQ arrangement.
At the same time, USTR has determined to reallocate 73,446 MTRV of the minimum amount of the original TRQ for raw cane sugar from countries that have stated they will be unable to fill previously allocated FY 2012 raw sugar TRQ quantities.
Thus, the USTR is allocating this total quantity of 454,463 MTRV to the following countries: Argentina, 24,061 MT; Australia, 46,443 MT; Barbados, 3,917 MT; Belize, 6,155 MT; Bolivia, 4,476 MT; Brazil, 81,136 MT; Colombia, 13,430 MT;
Costa Rica, 8,393 MT; Dominican Republic, 30,000 MT; Ecuador, 6,155 MT; El Salvador, 14,548 MT; Guatemala, 26,858 MT; Guyana, 6,714 MT; Honduras, 5,596 MT; India, 4,476 MT; Mauritius, 2,000 MT; Mozambique, 7,275 MT;
Nicaragua, 11,751 MT; Panama, 16,227 MT; Peru, 22,942 MT; Philippines, 75,540 MT; South Africa, 12,869 MT; Swaziland, 8,953 MT; Thailand, 7,834 MT, and; Zimbabwe, 6,714 MT.
Source: Manila Bulletin
Topics: Agri-Business, News & Updates | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Melon (Cucumis melo Linn.)
By goGreen | April 24, 2012
Family • Cucurbitaceae
Melon
Cucumis melo Linn.
CANTALOUPE
Cai gua
Scientific names | Common names |
| Cucumis melo Linn. | Atimon (Bis.) |
| Inkug (Sul.) | |
| Itimon (Ilk.) | |
| Katimon (Bis.) | |
| Melon (Span., Tag.) | |
| Cantaloupe (Engl.) | |
| Musk melon (Engl.) | |
| Cai gua (Chin.) |
Botany
Melon is a spreading, annual, more or less hairy vine. Leaves are somewhat rounded, angled, 6 to 15 cm long, heart-shaped at the base, and shallowly 3- to 7-lobed. Flowers are yellow, 1.5 to 2 cm long. Fruit is ovoid, somewhat rounded or ellipsoid, 20 cm long or less, smooth, green, and longitudinally striped or mottled.
Distribution
Cultivated in several varieties.
Occasionally, an escape.
Constituents
Fruit contains dextrose, citric acid, water, fat.
Seed contains globulin and glutine, arginine, histidine, lysine, cystine, tryptophan, fixed oil, galactan and glucose.
Oil consists of glycerides of linoleic, oleic, palmitic, stearic and myristic acid; also, lecithin and chloresterin.
Roots contain nenemetin, potassium malate and pectin.
Contains an emetic principle.
Properties
Considered emetic and purgative.
Fruit, esp pulp, considered nutritive, demulcent, diuretic and cooling.
Seeds considered diuretic.
Kernel considered stomachic, peptic and constructive remedy.
Parts used
Roots, pulp, seeds, kernel.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
Malaysia, PHL eye more palm oil partnerships
By goGreen | April 24, 2012
KUALA Lumpur is hopeful that more joint ventures between Malaysian and Filipino companies will be forged and more investments will pour into the expansion of palm oil plantations in the Philippines to meet growing local demand for the commodity.
The Malaysian Oil Palm Council (MPOC) said the Malaysian government is keen on working closely with the Philippine government to facilitate investments in the cultivation of palm oil trees in the Philippines.
“We are keen on encouraging more investments or joint ventures to increase the Philippines’s palm oil production,” said MPOC Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Yusof Basiron in an interview.
Palawan Palm & Vegetable Oil Mills Inc. is among the few companies that have gone into palm oil plantation and processing in the southern part of Palawan. Palawan Palm & Vegetable Oil Mills is a joint-venture between a Filipino and a Singaporean.
The company has started commercial operations in December 2011. It sought incentives from the Board of Investments as a new export producer of palm oil.
Aside from the Philippines, Basiron said Malaysia is also keen on facilitating investments in palm oil plantations in other countries in Southeast Asia.
Malaysian firms have forged a number of joint venture arrangements in Indonesia for the cultivation of palm oil trees.
Currently, around 5 million hectares of farmlands are devoted to the cultivation of palm oil trees in Malaysia.
While there is a growing demand for palm oil in the Philippines, an industry executive noted that less than one percent of farmlands in the Philippines are devoted to palm trees.
Last year the Philippines imported 512,000 metric tons (MT) from Malaysia, or 150 percent, higher than the 204,731 bought by the country in 2010.
“The year 2011 was a ‘special year’ because of the shortage of local supply [of oils] caused maybe by drought. Production did not increase as expected [so] imports supplemented local demand,” said Basiron.
For 2012 he projected that Malaysian palm oil producers will be able to increase their shipments by 10 percent to 11 percent on the back of expectations of higher demand.
The MPOC noted palm oil is a significant contributor of export earnings to Malaysia. Last year export receipts of Malaysian palm oil reached $26.8 billion, 34.5 percent higher than the figure registered in 2010.
Last year Malaysia accounted for 38 percent of the world’s total palm oil production and 46 percent of total palm oil exports.
Source: Business Mirror
Topics: News & Updates | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Sage
By goGreen | April 21, 2012
Family • Lamiaceae
Sage
Salvia officinalis
SCARLET SAGE
Common Names | |
| Common sage | Meadow sage |
| Garden sage | Dalmatian sage |
| True sage | Spanish sage |
| Scarlet sage | |
Botany
A perennial shrub with wiry and squared stems. Leaves are opposite. grayish green, softly hairy or velvety. long stalked with round-toothed margins. Flowers are axillary, in whorls of 4 to 8, tubular, purple, blue or white.
Distribution
Recently introduced; cultivated in the Bagiuo area.
Chemical constituents and characteristics
Anhidrotic.
Oils are antiseptic, antibacterial, astringent and irritant.
Some important volatile constituents are a-thujone, b-thujone, 1,8-cineole and b-caryophyllene.
Contains terpene, camphor and salvene.
Parts utilized
Leaves.
Uses
Folkloric
Becuase of it antiseptic and astringent properties, used for sore throats, mouth irritations, cuts and bruises.
Used for snake bites.
Used for drying up perspiration.
Some studies claim it lowers blood sugars in diabetics.
Culinary
Lemony and pleasantly bitter.
Young leaves eaten fresh in salads.
Used for omelets, soups and poultry stuffing.
An enhancing condiment for lamb, fish, duck, goose, artichoke. cheese, beans.
Cosmetic
infusions used to color the hair silver or gray.
Used as an astringent after-shave.
Used for making culinary wreaths.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Letsugas
By goGreen | April 21, 2012
Family • Asteraceae
Lactuca sativa Linn.
LETTUCE
Wo ju
Scientific names | Common names |
| Lactuca sativa Linn. | Letsugas (Tag.) |
| Lactuca scariola Linn. | Lettuce (Engl.) |
| Lechuga (Span.) | |
| Sheng cai (Chin.) | |
| Saang choy (Chin.) |
Botany
Letsugas is an erect, usually simple, annual, smooth, very leafy herb reaching a height of 1 meter when in flower. Leaves are stalkless, obovate to oblong-obovate, 6 to 20 cm long, entire or lobed, toothed, thin, and numerous at the base. Heads are numerous, about 1 cm long, and borne in open panicles; the branches, often much reduced, bear bractlike leaves. Flowers are yellow. Involucral bracts are ovate, the inner ones linear. Achenes are brown, with a very slender beak about as long as the body.
Distribution
Common garden cultivation for food.
Nowhere established.
Constituents
- Leaves yield a bitter principle (lactucin),mannite, mallic acid, asparagin, and oxalic acid.
- The whole plant yields a volatile oil, vitamin A, and a trace of hyoscyamine.
- Latex contains d- and B-lectucerol, inosite, reducing sugar, and a bitter principle.
- Lacturacium or lettuce opium, mentioned in the old pharmacopoeias, is the milky juice of the plant.
- Phytochemical study of a methanol extract have yielded triterpenoids, saponins, and simple phenols.
- Yields antioxidants like quercetin, caffeic acid and vitamin C.
Properties
Considered mildly soporific and hypnotic.
Cooling and refreshing.
The ancients considered it an aphrodisiac.
Fresh plant extract considered a milk sedative.
Anodyne, purgative, diuretic diaphoretic, antispasmodic.
Seeds are aromatic and bitter.
Parts used
Juice, leaves, seeds.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
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