Agricultural research specialists from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) won two awards for their research paper entitled “Irradiation as a Quarantine Treatment for Mango Pulp Weevil, Sternochetus frigidus (Fabr.) in Philippine Super Mango” during the recent 23rd National Research Symposium organized by the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).
Glenda B. Obra, Head of the Agricultural Research Section (ARS) and Sotero S. Resilva, Senior Science Research Specialist, Entomology Unit, ARS, together with Dr. Louella DJ Lorenzana, of DA’s Regional Field Office in Region IV-B earned the silver award in the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) Best R& D Paper Competition for the Applied Research - Technology Generation/Information Generation (TG/IG) - Agriculture Category , and the gold award as AFMA Best R and D Poster.
The authors received PhP 1M (senior author) in research grant, a plaque and PhP 75,000 as cash prize for their research paper’s silver award; and a plaque and PhP 50,000 cash prize for the Best R and D poster.
The adjudged winning research of Ms. Obra and Mr. Resilva explores how irradiation of the Philippine Super Mango can be utilized as a post-harvest control of the mango pulp weevil, Sternochetus frigidus (Fabr.), a pest which prevents the export of mangoes from the Philippines to the United States and other countries with strict quarantine regulations.
To date, only mangoes obtained from Guimaras province, which are certified as seed weevil- and pulp weevil-free, can be exported by the Philippines. A nuclear technique, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), was one of the factors that facilitated the export of Guimaras mangoes to the United States. SIT has been a long-standing program of the PNRI in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
