Agriculture Business Week

What would happen to this world if there are no flowers? Simply boring, perhaps meaningless, without color, and seems barren. Think of weddings without roses and chrysanthemum, Christmas without poinsettias, graduations without orchids, and burials without wreaths made of various flowers.

“Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into,” noted Henry Beecher. “Earth laughs in flowers,” Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in Hamatreya. And Emma Goldman declared, “I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape.

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Not many people may realize it but the orchid business is also creating a lot of jobs, not only for farm workers but also for traders and other entrepreneurs.

Just take the case of Edwin Veneracion and his wife Gina of San Rafael, Bulacan. When they put up their Golden Blooms nursery in 1998, they started with just three helpers and 3,000 dendrobium seedlings.

Twelve years later, they now have 50 workers who are full-time employees.

Their stocks have increased to more than 600,000 dendrobiums of various sizes, and a lesser number of vandas, cattleyas, and oncidiums.

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Rose (Rosa sp) is described as the queen of all flowers because of its beauty and form. In the Philippines, it is one of the favorite flowers because of its varied colors, fragrance, and long lasting quality. It is considered one of the world’s oldest and decorative horticultural plants. This is evident from the widespread interest in it as a home garden flower and from the national popularity as a cut-flower for all occasions.

Types of roses:

1. Floribunda – about 1.5 to 2.0 feet high, prolific, either single of cluster in one stem.
2. Hybrid tea – about 3 to 6 feet tall that produce large flowers.
3. Grandiflora – resembles tall floribunda with flowers as big as hybrid tea but much larger than floribunda.
4. Miniatures – sometimes called pitiminies, which are very short, bushy and profusely producing tiny button sized flowers.

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A top marketing expert for ornamental fishes explains how the international export protocols work.

Ferdinand P. Cruz, consultant of the East Asia Seas and Terrestrial Initiative, understands the world ornamental fishes market like the back of his hand. He could casually enumerate fish species, rattle off figures, explain the science behind a fish farming practice and share interesting anecdotes about the international tropical fish market very much like the men who have been in the business for a long time. And he certainly has. A former coordinator of the International Marine Alliance Indonesia Project, this Ateneoeducated fish expert was one of the first live fish exporters in the Philippines to promote net capture of aquarium fish as an alternative to cyanide.

Today, most of Cruz’s time is spent in teaching the members of the Tanauan Ornamental Pisces Growers Multipurpose Cooperative and its partner and consolidator, Yoreca Farms, Inc., to grow tropical ornamental fishes that would pass the very stringent US and European markets. As a consultant working for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), he has created the model set-up for a team that could open the doors for the vast and immense global ornamental fishes market. More than transferring technical knowledge, however, the amiable Cruz says he is also firming up the whole team to do business the professional way.

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The Ilang-ilang Livehood Program has made life better for residents of this once sleepy town.

The scent of ilang-ilang (Cananga odorata) has made life sweeter – literally and figuratively – for the townspeople of Anao in Tarlac. And the fragrance of their success can diffuse and be enjoyed by many other municipalities across the country.

According to Pedrito Q. Lontok, a researcher of DOST’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) and a new graduate in MS Community Development from UP Los Banos, the residents of Anao themselves say their lives have made a turn for the better – thanks to the town’s Ilang-ilang Livelihood Program.

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More and more Pinoys are discovering the business potentials of growing lilies.

The site should receive a good amount of sunlight since most lilies grow successfully in full sun. If it’s too shady, the stem of the lilies will stretch and will lean towards the sun. However, partial shade especially during midday is needed to preserve the color and to lengthen the span of the flowering season.

Growing lilies from seed
A good way of producing a large collection of lilies is through sowing seeds. To do this, a sterile soil is needed during the early stages of growth of the lily seedling. After placing it on pots and trays, sow the seeds an inch apart and cover them with about half an inch of soil. A good location WhcrV to put the said pots and traYs is in a cool green house on a window-sill. This should receive partial sunlight in a day. Germination rate of the seed increases at xvarincr temperature. One of the essential- things to remember is to constantly supply moisture and nutrients to the soil.

Lily seeds could be categorized into 2 types. This includes epigeal which cover lily seeds planted close to the ground. On the other hand, hypogeal includes lily seeds planted underground. Some of hypogeal seeds include the easiest to grow. They can germinate quickly and send up a leaf as early as 3 – 6 weeks after sowing (Asiatics and most trumpet types of lily fall under this category). Seeds under this category hide underground until they reached 3- 4 months of warm period. This will be followed by 2-3 months of cool temperature.

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More and more Pinoys are discovering the business potentials of growing lilies.

The aroma of love is in the air not because it’s Valentines day but because the month of June has come. June is considered one of the most awaited months because it is this moment when the dream of a woman will come true – to be a June bride. For her, even the slightest detail should be perfect to make everything special and memorable. One of these details is choosing the right flower for her special day. Lily is one of the flowers always considered during church weddings especially lilies white and “stargazer.” These flowers have high market value because of their unique beauty and its usefulness from simplest to extravagant occasions.

Lilies in the Philippine market
Filipinos nowadays have discovered the beauty of lilies. They do not stick alone to classic flowers and let their selves explore into something new yet as beautiful as the traditional ones. More and more people can see the value and indulge in the beauty of lilies. According to Mr. Jay-ar Erabon, a long time florist in Tecson Flowers, lilies are one of their items that sells a lot especially during weddings, and All Souls day. In Tecson Flowers, lily is one of the flowers they are happy to have because it has so many advantages than other flowers they have in the flower shop. First, lilies have a shelf life of as long as lo days which would only take one week for ordinary flowers. Second is that these flowers could be used in many ways. The flowers are usually bought stem by stem to be put in tall vases or as centerpiece in the table. A stem of lily usually costs from Php150 to Php300. At the price of Php55 per stem, these lilies are usually imported from Baguio City or bought from Dangwa, which is considered a junction place for ornamental flowers in Metro Manila.

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Good number of commercial organic fertilizers are now registered at the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA). Last year, the FPA listed 23 brands registered for rice fertilization. Apparently, the manufacturers of these brands claim that their products can effectively provide the nutrient needs of rice, especially under irrigated and rainfed lowland conditions.

How true is their claim?
The answer to this question could come from a paper by Dr. Cezar P. Mamaril and Michelle B. Castillo, which was presented during the recent 22nd National Rice R&D Conference at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

Dr. Mamaril, a retired soil science professor at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and retired soil scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), said that first and foremost processed organic fertilizers as well as plant biomass (straws, stovers, leaves), animal manure and food processing wastes are sources of soil organic matter.

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A new broad spectrum fungicide has been proven to kill different fungi and bacteria in ornamentals.

Fungicides have been used for more than 400 years from as simple as a brine solution, which was used for cereal seed treatment, to the introduction of very complex organic chemical compounds in the earlier half of the 20th century. There are different classes of fungicides that are classified according to their chemical structure. One of them is copper-based fungicides or copper fungicides. It has been used to protect crops after the ‘accidental’ discovery of the Bordeaux mixture by Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet in the late 1800s.

Disease control with the use of a copper based fungicide is done by disrupting the functions of the cellular proteins of fungi and bacteria. This is because when cupric ions are released in the presence of moisture, it destroys the secondary and tertiary structures (denaturation) of these proteins upon contact. Once these proteins are denatured, its functions are lost.

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Edible landscaping, potted plants and foliage, dried flowers-these are some of the growing trends in the ornamentals world-and more!

Just like the culinary world, the ornamentals universe is undergoing an evolution of sorts. There is fusion-a blending of tastes, sty, es and designs. Innovation is in and strict followers of the purists’ rules of design are starting to dwindle. Hobbyists are on the rise, some of them even earning more than what those erudite ornamental experts do. There is also this innate yearning among practitioners to dig into what’s endemic and indigenous among our plant materials and promote them for popular consumption.

“Those are signs of the times,” enthuses Dr. I,eonido R. Naranja, an acclaimed ornamental expert and Associate Professor of UPLB’s Crop Science Cluster (Formerly the Horticulture Department). “The general rule is, as the living conditions of people go higher, the usage of ornamentals also increases. But from what we have observed, even with the global financial crisis, we’re still seeing an uptrend – in the number of ornamental enthusiasts. It’s quite hard to predict what’s next in this industry.”

We visited Dr. Naranja during the recently concluded garden show and technology fair at the UPLB Social Garden Hall . As part of the organizing team of the yearly flower arrangement and dish garden competition, the amiable professor provided us with wonderful insights on what he thinks are hot emerging trends in the ornamentals world.

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CRFs can be an efficient way of giving nutrients to your plants.

In the ornamental business, the quality of the plant is the topmost priority, which greatly depends on the management of the grower. Each grower has his own technique and style in bringing out the best in their plants. One common factor among these growers is the kind of fertilizer they use. It would be difficult to support and grow most high valued ornamental plants without using fertilizers because fertilizers supply most of the nutrients needed by plants.

Most ornamental growers use inorganic fertilizers in granulated form. This is because with inorganic fertilizers, nutrients are immediately available and with the fast release of nutrients, salt can also be released easily which can build up quickly in the soil or media. With too much salt, the roots or leaves can be damaged due to its burning effect.

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The government and the private sector are finally collaborating to promote the production of ornamental fishes which could become a new sunshine industry.

Only recently, a strategic plan of action has been crafted to promote the growing of ornamental fishes, particularly in Laguna Lake and Taal Lake. The vision is to provide profitable livelihood to families living along the shores of the two major lakes. Rather than marginal fisherfolk or employees of factories that often provided temporary jobs, they could become small entrepreneurs growing pet fish.

As concrete step toward the realization of the vision, a techno-demo center for the production of koi and other aquarium fishes was recently launched in Cardona, Rizal. Another one has been started in Sucat, Paranaque, along Laguna Lake. The techno-demo centers are the collaborative efforts of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture and the private sector spearheaded by Bio Research. Headed by Wilson Ang, Rio Research is the country’s biggest grower and marketer of aquarium fishes and other pets. It has the experience, the facilities as well as the breeders that could jumpstart an honest-to-goodness development of the industry.

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Unknown to many, agriculture is one of the industries that benefit, from nuclear-based technologies, among which are developed by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), a research and development agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

One of the recent technological advancements made by PNRI is crop improvement by inducing beneficial mutation through irradiation. In this study, PNRI used gamma radiation coupled with tissue culture and molecular techniques to develop new crop varieties with improved characteristics.

The crop varieties developed or improved belong to the following crop categories:

Rice. PNRI has identified in 2005 top four highest yielding rice mutant lines among 14 mutant selections evaluated. These are Azmil x Bengawan mutant, IR 8 x Denorado mutant, Denorado mutant 1, and Azucena mutant. Based on the yield trials conducted by PNRI in 2006, Azucena mutant had the highest yield at 4.75 tons per hectare (t/ha), followed by the control, PSB Re 18 at 4 t/ha. 1R 8 x Denorado mutant 1 placed third at 3.82 t/ha, followed by Denorado mutant at 3.57 t/ha. The lowest yield was Azmil x Bengawan mutant with 3.25 t/ha.

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The orchidarium in Baguio is the place to go if you want to see temperate plants at their glory. Although one knows that certain temperate plants we fancy will have difficulty, thriving in the warm lowland, we still cannot resist buying them, hoping they will survive.

How many plants have you bought in Baguio – Gloxinia, Everlasting plant, which did not survive or had stunted growth? Many temperate plants will remain stunted when grown in the lowlands. A simple experiment is to plant a pea seed. It will germinate and produce a few leaves and then eventually die. An apple seed will react similarly.

However, there are many plants you can buy at the Orchidarium that will survive in the lowlands like the Anthurium, Salvia, certain bamboos, kalanchoes, and mums. The large-flowered Cymbidiums will neither do well nor the black bamboo become black in the lowlands.

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