Antipas — North Cotabato Trip

We visited Engr. Andres Pedregosa's farm in Antipas, North Cotabato for a feast of some fruits from his harvest. He is also one of our Society of Native Tree Enthusiast (SONATA) master. A fruit farmer/collector and a certified native tree grower. 

The highly priced Musang King (D197) variety of Durian from his farm is one of his precious collection along with Sultan, Puwang-manee, Maridagao (a native durian variety) and also with his Malaysian Jackfruit along with Malaysian Jade Rambutan and Mangostene.

This is the Musang King Variety. The most expensive Durian cultivar to date. This is from Engr. Pedregosa's 16yr old mother tree. 

The appearance is very tempting. The seeds are so small and that means the flesh is thick. Its texture is so creamy and it melts in your mouth, Sweetness is fantastic. Absolutely perfect!

This Durian is a local cultivar called Maridagao. According to Engr. Andres Pedregosa this is from a very old 80yr.old mother tree in his farm. The taste is sweet and with bitterness just like with other native local varieties. Taste-testing this fruit from a 80 year old tree is very memorable. 

This is also a Durian variety called Sultan. The fruit size is regular about 1kilo each fruit. Taste sweet with a little bit of bitterness. Still a very good variety of Durian to grow. 

We also feasted on this excellent variety of Jackfruit. This is a Malaysian Jackfruit. This variety changes my tastebud for jackfruits, I am not very fond of it but this one is different. Its flesh is so thick, its appearance is very pleasing and the taste is so sweet and juicy. Engr. Andres already gave us last year some planting materials of this variety and there's no regret to have this in our collection. 

The thickness of its meat is very evident. One bite and you'll surely go for more. 

After feasting all the fruits. We came to check some of his seedlings in his nursery.

A proud SONATA master along with his seedlings, ready to be outplanted soon to his arboretum in Antipas, North Cotabato. 

We enjoyed the short visit a lot, and there will be another in the future.  Thank you so much Bro and more power to your advocacy!

 

White Lauan (Shorea contorta)

Seed fall White Lauan (Shorea contorta). Fast growing straight bole tree, good as a plantation species due to its high market value. The last time I know it was 90/brd ft, that was 3 yrs ago. It is expected to get higher in the future. 

Already showing a sign of life. Dipterocarpus species is never a problem on its germination. As long as it is matured, the seed will germinate easily even with no soil. The only problem is that, its seeds are recalcitrant and losses viability as the day goes by. 

A fast growing timber species. This one is planted a year ago and it's already 10ft tall.

One of its characteristic is self pruning thus achieving a straight bole trunk. 

One of the mother tree in the wild. 

White Lauan (Shorea contorta) seeds are available right now in volume. Seeds of some other native tree species like Molave,Ypil, Lumbang, Narra, Kamagong, Yakal, Supa, Bitaog, Anahaw etc...you can inquire on my FB page "BORIS PRIVATE SANCTUM" anytime. Check it out with some other plant collections too. ❤️🌱🌳

 

Katmon Tree (Dillenia philippinensis)

Germinants of Katmon (Dillenia philippinensis). A favorite tree among Filipino garden enthusiasts. It is endemic to the Philippines and can be used for urban greening. Its fruit is known as elephant apple. Katmon grows in low to medium altitude forests throughout the Philippines, but does not survive the cold climates of the uplands.

Germinants are transferred to their individual polybag for nursery. 

A gorgeous white flower of Katmon.

A fruiting young Katmon tree.

Fruits of Katmon. Taste sour and very good for cooking 'sinigang', a Filipino dish. 

A young Katmon seedling that is outplanted and is already a part of my Food Forest.

If you wish to have Katmon seedlings and other seedlings and seeds of Philippine native tree species you can reach out to me in Facebook at my Page at — BORIS PRIVATE SANCTUM.

 

Sibucao (Caesalpinia sappan)

Sibucao (Caesalpinia sappan) woods from a 10 yr old tree. Time to cut, harvest, dried and stored. I have a new batch of germinants from the seeds this season, so hopefully I can outplant more before this year 2021 ends.

These are already cut to a convenient size and are ready to be sun dried. 

One of my Sibucao mother tree. 

The dried matured pods with seeds ready for planting. The seed is orthodox so you can keep it for a long period and still viable for planting.

The seedlings of Sibucao weeks after germination.

A decoction of Sibucao woods ready for drinking.

The health benefits of drinking decoction sibucao woods. 

For more information about Sibucao or Sappan tree you can always search in the internet. 

 

Kaong/Sugar Palm (Arenga pinnata)

Ka-ong (Arenga pinnata) that germinated from seeds last Feb.2021. I will try a new batch from the ripe fruits soon.

Seeds of Arenga pinnata or Sugar Palm showing signs of life. 

The meat inside of the Sugar Palm fruit after boiling and extraction. It is now ready to be cook again and to be preserve for future use especially for fruit salad in the future.

The Kaong or Sugar Palm industry is a big potential money earner for every farmer. The tree can produce also juice which can also be process into honey and vinegar. 

 

Bagawak Morado

Pruning the Bagawak Morado (Clerodendrum quadriloculare) in order to initiate more branches soon. 

Below is the Bagawak Morado flowering at a very young age. 

I am propagating a lot of this more soon. 

 

Foraging for food

Everything is free if you just look around and you will find a variety of edibles waiting to be discovered. This is the reason why I am building a good forest where there are lots of food you can get around you. 

Bamboo shoots

Wild edible shroom

 Ube rootcrop

 

Rimas Propagation

It's been 4 months since this Rimas/Kolo/Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) has been detached from its mother tree.

As you can see below the other cuts I've made are also showing signs of life. This is important development on my part as I am trying to propagate more of this species for my food forest. This is one of the most important species that can help the food security of every community.

 

Time to Plant Toog (Petersianthus quadrialatus)

It is a privilege for me to acquire planting materials of this tree species. This is Toog (Petersianthus quadrialatus) or also known as Philippine Rosewood. The conservation status of this species is vulnerable because it is threatened by habitat loss. To ensure the survival of this species, we need to plant more of its kind. 

 

Sibukaw (Caesalpinia sappan) Health Benefits

SIBUKAW WOOD HEALTH BENEFITS* -Decoction of wood and bark used for- ✓Hypertension/Highblood ✓Diabetes ✓Treats Hepatitis Problem ✓Kidney problem

✓UTI ✓Dialysis Patient ✓Binat ✓Anemia ✓Good for the heart health ✓Nervous disorders ✓Tuberculosis ✓Atonic Diarrhea

✓Dysentery ✓Postpartum tonic ✓Skin Infections ✓Cold and Cough ✓Bone Marrow Problem ✓Heart Diseases ✓Stomach Aches/Ulcers ✓Good for Respiratory Ailments (ashma) ✓Cures wounds ✓Dysmenorrhea ✓Pricking Pain in the Chest and Abdomen, ✓Prostate Enlargement ✓Arthritis/Gout ✓Cancer ✓Inflammatory Complaints

Sapang is a small tree, 3 to 5 meters high, with scattered spines. Leaves are compound, up to 50 centimeters long. Pinnae are about 20, opposite, and 10 to 20 centimeters long. Leaflets are 20 to 30, obliquely oblong to oblong-rhomboid. Flowers are yellow, on terminal panicles, 2 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter with densely wooly filaments. Fruit is a hard, indehiscent, shiny pod, about 7 centimeters long, and 3.5 to 4 centimeters wide, with a hard recurved beak at the upper angle.

Distribution
- Locally abundant throughout the Philippines at low and medium altitudes in dry thickets, parang, etc.
- Introduced, and probably of prehistoric introduction.
- Also occurs in India through Burma, Thailand, Indo-China, southern China to Malaysia.

Source: Stuartxchange.org

 

High fiber diet may protect against asthma

 Posted by Neill Abayon

In the past 50 years, as fruits and vegetables have featured less and less in the Western diet, rates of allergic asthma have gone up. Now a new study suggests these trends are not coincidental, but causally linked.

Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and led by Benjamin Marsland, an assistant professor at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, researchers report their work in a recent online issue of Nature Medicine.

Using laboratory mice, they found that when gut bacteria digest dietary fiber, such as that contained in fruits and vegetables, they release fatty acids into the bloodstream, and these affect how the immune system behaves in the lungs.

The finding builds on knowledge that has been around for some time: that having a rich and diverse mix of microbes in the gut that digests and ferments fiber, helps prevent cancer of the intestines.

More here.

Bacteria linked to premature birth

Premature birth can have long-term health effects for both mothers and children

By Helen Briggs  
BBC News 

A major cause of premature birth - where waters break too soon, triggering labour - may be caused by specific bacteria, according to research.

 The findings could lead to screening and possible treatment for women at risk of early labour, says a US team.

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests certain bacteria may lead to thinning of the membranes around the baby, causing them to tear.

Early rupture of membranes causes almost a third of all premature births.

The membranes that make up the sac that holds the baby usually break at the start of labour.

If a mother's waters break before the baby has reached full term, the medical term is preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM).

If this happens early, before contractions start, it can - but does not always - trigger early labour.

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have found high numbers of bacteria at the site where membranes rupture, which are linked with the thinning of membranes.

If the bacteria are the cause rather than the consequence of early membrane rupture, it may be possible to develop new treatments or screen for women at risk, they say.

Study author Amy Murtha, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Duke University School of Medicine, said: "For instance, if we think that certain bacteria are associated with premature rupturing of the membranes, we can screen for this bacteria early in pregnancy.

More here.

New obesity treatment possible with novel protein discovery

  

Posted by Neill Abayon

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of US adults are now obese. But new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience details how a protein in the brain regulates food intake and body weight - opening new doors for the treatment of obesity.

The research team, led by Maribel Rios, associate professor of the department of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine, say their findings may also help explain why some drugs, such as gabapentin and pregabalin, can cause people to gain weight.

The investigators discovered that alpha2/delta-1 - a protein that has not previously been associated with obesity - assists the function of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Rios notes that in one of his previous studies, it was found that BDNF is crucial for appetite suppression.


But in this most recent study, the research team found that low levels of BDNF were linked to reduced function of alpha2/delta-1 in the hypothalamus - an area of the brain that plays an important role in regulating weight and food intake.

More here.


 

'Heat maps' find cervical cancer

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new test that uses heat to examine blood can be used to detect cancer, according to US scientists. 

The "plasma thermogram" examines the proteins inside blood, including those produced by tumours.
A study, in the journal Plos One, showed the test could detect cervical cancer and how advanced it was.
Cancer Research UK said thermograms might improve detection, but more evidence on the accuracy and reliability was needed.

Screening for cervical cancer currently involves a looking for abnormal cells in a smear test and detecting high-risk viruses that can cause the disease.

The study, at the University of Louisville, used the plasma thermogram technology to analyse blood samples.
The sample will respond differently to heat depending on the types of proteins contained in the blood. It results in a thermogram - like a fingerprint - of the protein content.

The system was tested on 67 women with different stages of the cervical cancer to see if it could detect the differences between the patients and healthy people.

More here.