Tiger grass pollen flower remover now commerciable

A machine that can remove pollen flowers of tiger grass, the material used in the production of walis tambo (soft broom), is now up for commercialization.

The device was developed by the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), a multi-campus school in La Union. It may now be purchased from DMMMSU through PCIERD.

The machine was fabricated with DOST-PCIERD support to ease up the production of soft broom, which is one of the major industries in La Union. It is primarily for the use of the La Union Broom Makers Association members and others in the country.

Made out of locally available materials, it can facilitate faster and more efficient removal of pollen grains without damaging the stalks.

It can be manually operated or motor-driven. It can also be assembled and disassembled easily to allow mobility from one work place to another.

Likewise, it can be used as a rice thresher by simply detaching the tiger grass flower pollen roller and replace it with a rice thresher roller.

As a palay thresher, the machine can yield at least 10 sacks of rice in an hour when operated manually by two persons. When motorized, it can yield 15-18 sacks in an hour of operation. — RAF