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COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA

LAND GRANT PROGRAM
Contact us: (691) 3202462/2728
P.O Box 1179 Kolonia,Pohnpei FM 96941
  • COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA LAND GRANT PROGRAM

News from land grants

Integrated sustainable agriculture and livestock production workshops

KOSRAE, FSM. Dr. Virendra M. Verma, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Kosrae Agricultural Experiment Station.

Dr. Verma, Project Coordinator of Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE) project on on-farm implementation and demonstration of integrated sustainable agriculture and livestock production systems for small-scale farmers, organized two one-week workshops for participants. Eighty-one participants including agriculture college students, agriculture high school students, farmers and women attended the workshops. Extensive PowerPoint presentations and hands-on activities were organized to make participants acquainted with tissue culture multiplication, acclimatization, banana cultivation, soft taro cultivation, sweet potato cultivation, diseases and nutrient deficiency symptoms and control, insect and pest control, fertilizer and compost application, harvesting, storing and composting. Seven multi-colored cultivation guides on banana, soft taro, sweet potato, eggplant, papaya, composting and swine diet were prepared and distributed to participants.

Workshop participants.
Workshop participants.

Ecologically integrated and well managed hot composting system for recycling of organic matter

KOSRAE, FSM. Dr. Virendra M. Verma, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Kosrae Agricultural Experiment Station.

Organic matters such as crop residues and animal manure were used for composting. Solid swine manure was separated from the piggery effluent by using a rundown screen and sun dried for two weeks. Dried solid manure was shredded along with the dried organic materials such as crop residues, and was used as brown material (carbon rich) for composting. All fresh and green organic materials were shredded while still fresh and were used as green material (nitrogen rich) for composting. Hot composting technique was implemented to convert the nutrient-rich crop residues and swine manure into valuable compost at the Kosrae Agricultural Experiment Station. A six inch layer at the bottom of the compost pile was filled with coconut husk for better air circulation. Green and brown materials were layered alternately and on each layer a half inch thick layer of finished compost, and fresh and healthy soil from the forest was added as an activator. Aerobic process was used for decomposition of organic matters. High microbial activities generated heat that was regulated and maintained within the required range of 140-158oF in the composting pile by appropriate air circulation and proper moisture maintenance during heating phase. The pile was turned once in a week and treated effluent from the piggery was sprayed to control and maintain appropriate temperature and moisture, respectively. The heating phase gradually changed into a cooling phase and decomposition occurred without much generation of heat, and temperature dropped slowly up to 86oF. At the end of decomposition, during the maturation phase, the temperature dropped 68-77oF and resulted in finished compost. This ecologically integrated and well managed system composted the crop residues, manure and spilled feed in less than 3 months.

composting
Top left to clockwise: Shredded green material for composting, shredded brown material for composting, green and brown layers in compost pile, and finished compost ready to use.

PCC-CRE assists Typhoon “Bopha” victims cope up with food security problems

NGAREMLENGUI STATE, PALAU. Dr. Aurora G. Del Rosario, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Palau Community College Research and Development Station.

In December 2, 2012, Palau was badly hit by Typhoon “Bopha”.  Most severely affected were the states of Ngaraard, Ngiwal, Melekeok and Ngchesar in East Coast of Babeldaob as well as the outer islands of Peleliu, Angaur and Kayangel.  Big waves brought the sea water and sand inland into the homes along the shoreline and left a lot of damaged houses, schools, roads, and infrastructures.   In some areas, salt water flooded the roads and houses up to 4 to 6 feet at the height of the typhoon.  Salt water also inundated taro patches, damaged the mesei resulting in burned taro plants.  Even tall betel nut trees were severely affected by the salt water coming inland into the islands.  Thus, food supply and food security of the community was endangered.  PCC-CRE extended assistance to the affected communities by assisting them in establishing their farms and gardens as part of relief efforts to victims of Typhoon Bopha.

Salt water damages taro.
Salt water damages taro.

Salt water damage to betel nuts in Peleliu.
Salt water damage to betel nuts in Peleliu.

In January, 9 farms in Ulimang, Ngkeklau and Choll in the state of Ngaraard were plowed and planted with sweet potato, cassava and taro.  In Melekeok, 14 community farms were also plowed and planted with cassava, taro and sweet potato.  In February 5 – 7, 2013, PCC-CRE worked with the Bureau of Agriculture in assisting 81 residents of Peleliu State by plowing backyards, established vegetable gardens and also planted taro and sweet potato.   In March 14 – 16, 2013, PCC-CRE Staff also assisted 48 residents of Angaur State and provided planting materials to establish sweet potato, taro and vegetable gardens. Finally, in March 29-31, 2013, PCC-CRE staff went to Kayangel Island to assist 14 farmers in plowing, and planting sweet potato, cassava and taro.  Vegetable seeds and compost were also distributed to the farmers.  All these efforts were done to ensure food security in the communities in the coming months.

Planting cassava and sweet potato in Ngaraard.
Planting cassava and sweet potato in Ngaraard.

Planting taro and sweet potato in Angaur.
Planting taro and sweet potato in Angaur.

Two books highlight crop protection research in Micronesia

NGAREMLEGUI STATE, PALAU. Dr. Aurora G. Del Rosario, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Palau Community College Research and Development Station.

For the past 20 years, research in Crop Protection proved to be a successful undertaking. Research culminated in the publication of two important books on crop protection.

Economic Entomology of Micronesia
Economic Entomology of Micronesia

The first publication written by Nelson Esguerra and Aurora Del Rosario is a 214-page book entitled “Economic Entomology in Micronesia” published by PCC-CRE and College of Micronesia in 2007. It showcases biological information on 84 major pests of crops in Micronesia which are described and augmented by 369 colored photographs of the damage and different life stages. Students in agricultural science as well as researchers and extension agents will find this book very useful.

Biological Control Introductions in the Freely Associated States of Micronesia
Biological Control Introductions in the Freely Associated States of Micronesia

The second book published by the COM Land Grant Program is entitled “Biological Control Introductions in the Freely Associated States of Micronesia”. It is a 136 –page document which covers the use of good insects to control pests of crops in the Freely Associated States of Micronesia from 1986 to 2009. Primarily, it involved introducing biological control agents in the Republic of Marshall Islands, the four island states of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. Many of the introduced good insects reduced the target pests to non-damaging levels in these island nations. It also includes some biological control agents that remained in the islands and continuously controlled the pests despite releasing those 10-15 years ago. The authors are Nelson Esguerra, Aurora Del Rosario and Thomas Taro.

Sweet potato and taro multiplication demonstration sites established at three regions in Chuuk

WENO, CHUUK, FSM. Dr. Lolita Ragus, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Chuuk Agricultural Experiment Station.

COM-FSM Chuuk Campus/Cooperative Research and Extension (CRE) distributed eight promising sweet potato and two taro cultivars evaluated from April 2012 to March 2013 for tolerance to drought and salt spray.   Chuuk CRE acknowledged PASAP project for making these materials available for evaluation under coastal and upland environments. Furthermore, SPC CePaCT provided these cultivars to the MPPRC, COM-FSM KAES, which further multiplied them in tissue culture, acclimatized in the greenhouse and provided to the four COM-FSM campuses.  Also, KAES undertook local taro collection, which underwent similar processes as sweet potato. The Australian government funded this project, which was implemented through the joint partnership of the FSM Office of Environment and Emergency Management, COM-FSM CRE and SPC Land Resources Division (North Pacific).

On the other hand, CRE Global Food Security and Hunger and Climate Change programs and PASAP project collaborated in plant distribution and establishment of multiplication sites also serving as demonstration plots in the three Chuuk regions. The Department of Agriculture provided its motorboat and participated in this activity.  Chuuk CRE coordinated with the respective island local governments for island-wide sharing of planting materials and skills gained from training. Likewise, Mortlocks and Northwest regions got their planting materials through Private Sector Grant funded-Agroforestry programs.

Two hundred sixty participants benefitted from this endeavor as detailed below:

  • Faichuk (Romanum-43; Eot- 35; Udot-32; Polle-33)—–143
  • Northern Namoneas (Weno-34; Fono-26)——————- 60
  • Southern Namoneas (Fefen-29; Tonoas-28)—————- 57

Fefen Mayor Serino Tokyo remarked “I will make it sure that these planting materials will go to the villages where our people would share and take advantage of this opportunity”.  Overall, these communities expressed their happiness and thanks for this effort.

Fefen Island Mayor Serino Tokyo (extreme right) led in preparing plots.
Fefen Island Mayor Serino Tokyo (extreme right) led in preparing plots.
Children in Polle Island watched the sweet potato planting demonstration.
Children in Polle Island watched the sweet potato planting demonstration.