Farmer-friendly biotech product now commercialized
This multi-awarded, pro-farmer biotechnology product is now widely commercialized and accepted by farmers across the country.
Further, its indefatigable creator, Dr. Mercedes Umali-Garcia, now 72, although already retired but still serving as UP Los Baños professor emeritus, continues to nurture her “baby” for the sake of the country’s small farmers.
At the just concluded National S&T Week celebration (July 16-20), Dr. Garcia again received another award, this time the Outstanding Technology Award (Gregorio Y. Zara Medal) from DOST.
“This technology substantially lowers production cost for farmers and is now being extensively used by farmers nationwide,” DOST’s citation stated.
The product, simply called Bio-N, has been bringing wonders to farmers growing rice, corn, sugarcane, vegetables, and high-value crops from the
Bio-N has been described as a “breakthrough technology” that is mainly composed of microorganisms isolated from the roots of talahib, which can convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form available for use by host plants.
This microbial fertilizer can substitute 30 to 50 percent of the chemical fertilizers applied to agricultural crops. When applied, it makes the plant more naturally resistant to pests and diseases, with wider leaves, sturdier stems, higher yield, and better milling recovery (in case of rice), compared to plants applied with inorganic fertilizer.
Bio-N comes in powder form in a handy 200-gram packet, which is meant for either seed inoculation, direct broadcasting over seeds, or mixed with water as root dip.
It took Dr. Garcia five years to isolate and develop the microbial strains into an efficient biological fertilizer. For the feat, she has been conferred prestigious awards, among them the Pantas (Sage, the highest given by DOST-PCARRD), Pro-Patria (Rizal) Medal, Gawad Saka for National Outstanding Scientist, and ASEAN Achievement Award from Winrock International.
The country’s corn sector also honored her at the 2006 National Corn Congress in
Dr. Garcia told The STAR that Bio-N manufacturing plants have been established in all regions of the country. More are being set up.
She developed the technology under a UPLB-National Institute of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) program.
The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) has provided funds to promote Bio-N technology transfer, seminar, and training activities.
Summing up, Dr. Garcia, the third of nine children born to a poor farming family in Calaca, Batangas, said: “My work will only be complete when I see our farmers using and actually benefiting from Bio-N.”— Rudy A. Fernandez
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