EntrePinoys Atbp.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is popular tor its distinct sharp and hot flavor due to an oily substance called gingerol. It is known as ‘luya’ in Tagalog, shoga’ (Japanese), ‘chiang’ (Chinese), ‘jingibre’ (Spanish), ‘gingembre’ (French), and ‘zanjabil’ (Arabic). It has an aerial part of about 0.8 m high, which could grow up to 1.5 m tall (in Costa Rica, Hawaii, and Honduras) and a finger-like perennial underground part or rhizomes called hands.

The top producing countries are India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Thailand. In 2006, the area planted to ginger in the Philippines was 3,916 hectares (ha) with a total production of 27,261 tons (t). Cagayan Valley was the largest producer (5,566 t), followed by Calabarzon (4,969 t), and Northern Mindanao (4,029 t). Read the rest of this entry »

Aquaponics is an integrated aquaculture (growing fish) and hydroponic (growing soilless plants) system that mutually benefits both environments. Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires one tenth or 10% of the water needed for field plant production and only a fraction of the water that is used for fish culture (Aquaculture).

The waste from fish tanks is treated with natural bacteria that converts the waste, largely ammonia, first to nitrite and then to nitrate. The fish waste absorbed by plants is pumped to a bio-filter system as a nutrient solution for the growing plants (Grow Bed). The only external input to the system is food for the fish. Both systems complement each other as a single unit, not as separate units. Read the rest of this entry »

Variety Description (fresh)

a. Mistisa

• potential yield: 30 tons/hectare (t/ha)
• maturity: 55 days after transplanting (DAT)
• fruits: medium long, striped light violet, have 1 week storage life, very good for “Pinakbet”
• resistant to bacterial wilt, and moderately resistant to fruit borer, leaf hopper, and phomopsis ideal for organic production
• IPB-released variety

Read the rest of this entry »

Banana is the most economically important fruit crop in the Philippines and the only locally grown fruit available year-round. Bananas are grown in diverse environments in the country, from the lowlands, flat and sloping uplands to the marginal hillylands. Latundan, lakatan and saba are mostly grown in the backyard or as a component in an intercropping scheme with minimum care and management.

Fresh lakatan is very popular in the market. However, supply does not always meet this high demand especially in Luzon. Lakatan, sold in Luzon, sometimes comes from Mindanao. These bananas are more expensive because of their better quality and additional transport costs. Read the rest of this entry »

Sweet pea (Pisum sativum L) or “sitsaro” is the most expensive vegetable legumes in the Philippines. There are several types: garden peas, English peas, or green peas (P. sativum var. sativum); field peas or soup peas (P. sativum var. ravense); and flat, edible-podded snow peas also known as mangetout peas, sugar peas, or Chinese peas (P. sativum var. macrocarpon).

Garden peas are grown for their green peas, while field peas are grown for their dried seeds. The snow pea is the most common type grown in the Philippines. This group also includes the snap pea, a group of edible-podded peas that are differentiated from snow pea because of their round pods. Read the rest of this entry »