Luis: What is HORTI?

LEGAL basis. The Horticulture Research and Training Institute (HORTI) which is being supervised by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension was established in January 12, 1986 during the conversion of the Mountain State Agricultural College into Benguet State University by virtue of PD 2010 to spearhead the generation, promotion, and utilization of appropriate technologies or significant information to accelerate and sustain the development of temperate vegetable, fruit, plantation, and ornamental industries, and to benefit the public with the use of horticultural commodities.

Divisions and sections. To be able to deliver its mandates, the institute is composed of the Research and Development (R and D) and Training and Extension (T and E) divisions. The R and D Division has 6 sections: Olericulture (foliage and tuber vegetables, field legumes, and mushrooms), floriculture (cutflowers, ornametals, medicinal plants, herbs and spices), Pomology and Plantation Crops (strawberry and highland fruit trees), Postharvest Handling (marketing and food processing/value addition), Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Management (tissue culture, live germplasm bank of indigenous and exotic horticultural crops, vegetable plots, orchard), and Food Safety.

The T and E Division has 5 sections: Training and Seminar Series, IECs and Product Exhibits, Press/ News Releases, Plant Health Clinic Services, and Demo Farms: Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for vegetables, strawberry and indigenous flowers; Seed and Planting Material Production (strawberry runners, vegetable and legume seeds, fruits, flowers and ornamentals, medicinal plants, herbs and spices); and Organic Input Production (biofertilizers, vermicompost, biopesticides, Diadegma, Trichoderma, predator mites, nucleopolyhedrosis virus, entomopathogenic nematodes).

Services. The institute works hand-in-hand with the colleges in terms of horticultural technologies generated and validated that are integrated into aligned curricula as well as the provision of demo farms/projects where students can do their laboratory experiments, theses/research works, and hands-on trainings. Likewise, the institute provides technical assistance and institutional support systems to farmers and other stakeholders where and when the technologies and facilities are available. At the moment, HORTI provides technical advice, hands-on trainings, and sells basic materials needed in the following: strawberry production using clean planting materials, vegetable production using good agricultural practices (GAPs) and organic farming,(OF) salad vegetable production, bean and garden pea production adapted varieties with GAPs and of, oyster mushroom and shiitake production in growing bags using sawdust substrate, production of flowers (chrysanthemum, roses, anthurium, Benguet lily, calla lily, medinilla), and legume seed production.

For more inquiries, please contact Dr. Janet Sa-ong Luis, HORTI Director at CP# 0949-648-4570 or email: janetsluis05@yahoo.com.ph.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph