Compared to manual application, the carabao-drawn fertilizer applicator guarantees the proper quantity of nutrients. Money is saved because fertilizer is expensive, at the same time preventing nutrient imbalances.

As the popular Pilipino song goes, "Magtanim ay 'di biro [Planting is no joke]." One's ingenuity, however, may just change that.

Aiming to enhance farm labor efficiency in sugar, Federico Barredo, coordinator for the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc.'s (Philsurin) experiment station in Victorias, Bacolod City, has devised simple farm machines that are a boon to planters.

"An effective coordinator must be resourceful. He must always be on the lookout for new technologies that may help improve the planters' productivity," Mr. Barredo said.

Before Philsurin introduced the carabao-drawn fertilizer applicator, planters dropped fertilizer by hand close to the sugarcane's root zone. Often, the nutrients remained on the surface and failed to reach the roots.

"This conventional way of applying fertilizer is subject to a lot of losses especially during the rainy season," Mr. Barredo said.

To avoid hit-or-miss situations, he conceptualized a simple farm machine that ensures the even application of fertilizer based on the recommended rate. Compared to manual application, the carabao-drawn fertilizer applicator guarantees the proper quantity of nutrients supplied. Money is saved, because fertilizer is expensive, while preventing nutrient imbalances.

"The proper nutrient management of soils planted to sugarcane is vital as soil fertilizer is a major factor that contributes to high production," Philsurin Director-General Leon M. Arceo said.

Another invention under Philsurin's Victorias MDDC (mill district development council) small machine shop is the mechanized infield hauler, which is designed to replace the carabao and bull-cart to transport canes from the field.

"Hauling canes from the fields is very difficult. We used to utilize carabaos and bull-carts. However, the carabao gets temperamental after two rounds," Mr. Barredo said.

The diesel engine-powered in-field hauler, which loads one to 1.5 tons of sugarcane per trip, is a giant leap. It is not only a big load off the animal's back, but also a big savings to planters because the machine has increased hauling efficiency by more than five times.

The three-in-one is a Kubota-drawn farm implement that functions as fertilizer applicator that can apply 12 to 16 bags per hectare, and as weeder-cultivator.

The machine may also be used for off-barring and hilling-up operations. Off-barring is the process of plowing the soil away from the base of the stubbles toward the interspace, while hilling-up is closing the furrow slice toward the base of the plant.

For more efficient juice sampling to determine the cane's maturity prior to harvesting and milling, Philsurin fabricated the laboratory hand mill. Composed of three mill rollers, the machine has a capacity of two stalks per minute.

While the development of small farm machines is native to the Victorias mill district, the units are distributed to MDDCs nationwide.

Asked if he will patent his inventions, Mr. Barredo said, "No. I want all MDDCs to use the machines."

Philsurin is a nonstock, nonprofit organization mandated to perform sugarcane research, development and extension activities. It aims to advance Philippine sugar to a sustainable, globally competitive position by providing planters and millers with appropriate and cost-effective technologies.

Meanwhile, an assessment of Argao, Cebu's watershed was conducted to appraise the ecological status of its natural resources and the factors relative to its conservation.

Conducted by researchers from the Cebu State College of Science and Technology, the study aimed to determine the watershed's existing species and vegetation types, describe its biophysical components, and formulate recommendations to improve its resources management.

Of the four vegetation types taken as samples -- grassland, plantation, second growth forest, and natural forest -- results revealed the presence of 352 species belonging to 87 families and 159 genera in the study area.

The species included 30 large trees, 46 medium trees, 91 small trees, 28 shrubs, 3 palms, 56 herbs, 15 lianas, 19 vines, 11 ferns, 31 grasses and a species of moss, 1 ground orchid, and 20 other unidentified species.

With these findings, the researchers recommended further documentation of floral resources in the watershed, protection of its remaining resources, strict implementation of its management, and rehabilitation of its degraded sites through planting of local native species.

Presented by Edgardo Lillo of Cebu, a researcher, the study was tackled during the research and development (R&D) symposium hosted by the Central Visayas Consortium for Integrated Resources Research and Development (CVCIRRD).

CVCIRRD is the R&D consortium of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development in Region 7.