Tissue culture, pest control labs rise in Laguna
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has invested P6 million for the construction and rehabilitation of two facilities in Laguna province aimed at modernizing the Philippine agriculture sector.
The two facilities, located at the Los Baños National Crop Research, Development, and Production Support Center, were envisioned “to boost crop yields, protect the environment and improve farmers’ livelihoods,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement on Friday.
In his speech during the inauguration, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the first facility, a tissue culture laboratory, would ensure a steady supply of high-quality and disease-free planting materials, especially for the banana industry that continues to grapple with Fusarium wilt.
Fusarium wilt is a deadly plant disease caused by a fungus called Fusarium Oxysporum f. sp. Cubense, which attacks the roots of banana plants. It is considered the world’s greatest threat to banana production.
“Beyond bananas, the facility will also propagate crops such as garlic, ginger, ube and ornamentals—helping farmers access resilient and productive plantlets suited to local conditions,” the agency said.
“This initiative supports both commercial growers and smallholder farmers by providing clean, subsidized plantlets, while also conserving the country’s valuable plant genetic resources,” it added.
This complements the second hub, an upgraded biocontrol facility designed to produce biological control agents, referring to living organisms used to control pests, weeds or plant diseases.
These agents include earwigs and beneficial fungi such as Metarhizium Anisopliae and Beauveria Bassiana.
Tiu Laurel said the two facilities underscored the critical role of science and technology in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, population growth and environmental degradation.
He also said these agricultural projects were aligned with the Marcos administration’s vision of a more modern and resilient sector that would ensure food security.
