In this study, Burkholderia cepacia was identified as the causal agent of sour skin disease of onion in the Philippines. The bacterium’s identity was validated by analyzing the DNA sequence of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene region. The Philippine isolate had 99.51% identity to B. cepacia (GenBank accession number: KF681774). B. cepacia caused sour skin symptoms in inoculated red and yellow onions. Repeated assays also revealed that scallions are susceptible to B. cepacia infection. Since B. cepacia was previously reported to infect bulb onions in the field and this study showed severe rotting once the disease developed during storage, efficient detection methods and integrated pest management strategies would be needed to reduce the source of inoculum in the field and mitigate disease development when onion bulbs are in storage.

Railways have been one of the most efficient modes of transportation. They enable economic progress by mobilizing people and goods. With this, the researchers designed a regional railway network using graph theory with weighted nodes. The weight of each node will be obtained using the grey correlation coefficient of the following variables: total population, distance, perceived passengers, annual income, and the number of tourists. These factors will give an improved gravity model that will be used as the road weight between two cities. The layout for the regional railway network will be obtained using Kruskal’s algorithm. The model will be applied to Region III (Central Luzon) of the Philippines to verify its validity.

Cassia is a genus of leguminous trees that bear attractive colorful flowers with tropical distribution. The pink-to-white-flowered trees are commonly cultivated and are considered as exotic to the Philippines. Balayong is a local botanical name that broadly refers to Cassia trees in Palawan and became the flagship species of Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, because of its floral blooms and the trees symbolize feisty femininity and beauty. It is annually celebrated as a festival, namely, the Balayong Festival. However, several scientific names for balayong have been claimed as the correct name as well as their unending presumptions of origin. This study aimed to resolve the identity and botanical indigeneity of the balayong (Cassia) of Palawan. A review of the literature, examination of actual and digital images of herbarium specimens, fieldwork, and analysis of nomenclature were conducted. Three taxa of the pink-to-white-flowered Cassia, namely, Cassia grandis, C. javanica subsp. javanica, and C. javanica subsp. nodosa, and the yellow-flowered C. fistula are recognized to occur in Palawan. Among these, C. javanica subsp. javanica is indigenous to the Philippines, with historical records of collections from Palawan. A key to the identification of the species, literature citations, brief description, and taxonomic notes are presented to delineate the different kinds of Cassia in Palawan.

The basidiomycete Ustilago maydis causes smut in corn (Zea mays). The pathogen was first reported in the Philippines in 1919. However, characterization data and knowledge of its current isolate for use as reference are scarce. This study provides knowledge of the morphocultural characteristics of a Laguna isolate of Ustilago maydis and, for the first time, confirms the species and identity through DNA sequencing of the partial sequence of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) in the ribosomal DNA gene region. The teliospore size (n = 30) ranged from 8.09 to 11.36 μM (averaged at 9.21 μM). Washed teliospores were successfully isolated in a potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium supplemented with CuSO₄. The teliospore and the haplotype DNA (from PDA) were extracted and used in a polymerase chain reaction assay. A ~800 base pair product was amplified, and sequences of the ITS rDNA revealed teliospore and haplotype of the Philippine isolate were 100% similar to known U. maydis. Phylogenetic analysis also revealed a close resemblance of the Philippine isolate to U. maydis isolated from corn in Mexico. Description and DNA sequence information of the U. maydis Philippine isolate MBZM001 provided in this study can be used as references for future studies.

Pesticide application plays a critical role in ensuring agricultural productivity by minimizing crop losses due to infestations. However, there are long-term negative effects associated with this practice, prompting the need to develop greener and more sustainable alternatives. A promising alternative is particle film technology using kaolin clay. A suspension of kaolin clay in water is applied through a spray coating technique in which it forms a thin film on the surface of the substrate that serves as a protective barrier for plants and fruit crops. This protective barrier is known to deter pests through feeding and visual obstruction. In this study, we present preliminary evidence to suggest that particle film coverage not only acts as a physical barrier but also suppresses or masks volatile emissions from plants. Our study analyzed the effects of particle film coverage on the volatile chemical profile of a model plant, Garcinia mangostana. It was found that particle film coverage suppresses volatile chemical emissions as analyzed through solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The observed volatile suppression can be attributed to the fine and extensive coverage of the particle film on the plant surface.

The purpose of the study is to assess the radioprotective potential of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abang-abang) extract on gamma-irradiated human lymphocytes through in vitro micronucleus assay. The unadulterated extract of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abangabang) was diluted into varying concentrations of 0.1 mg/mL, 0.2 mg/mL, 0.3 mg/mL, and 0.4 mg/mL, after which they were added to the irradiated blood samples. Based on the study and data gathered, the extract of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abang-abang) was found to have significantly reduced the number of micronuclei in the 1,000 binucleated cells. From the four concentration levels, it was the 0.4 mg/mL concentration of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abang-abang) that exhibited the greatest radioprotective activity in terms of the reduced micronucleus formation from which it yielded a mean of 33 micronuclei. Furthermore, based on the correlational and regression analysis, there is a significant relationship between plant extract concentration and the number of micronuclei formation and it is apparent that the plant concentration level of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis has a strong inverse correlation with the number of micronuclei (r = −0.90, p = 0.04).

This study can benefit people who are excessively exposed to ionizing radiation, specifically cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy. This study will provide a great innovation on how the effect of ionizing radiation in the public will lessen. This study provided evidence that the leaf extract of the plant Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abang-abang) gives a protection to minimize ill effects to patients who are inevitably exposed to ionizing radiation. This study provided a contribution to the utilization of Leea manillensis syn. guineensis (Abangabang), which is endemic here in the Philippines.