The Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center represented Benguet State University to the 4th AsiaBlight International Meeting and conference held in Chengdu, China on November 28-30, 2024.
NPRCRTC Director Teresita Masangcay and Jennie Balao, Chief of the Crop Management and Seed Production Division of the Center, were invited by the International Potato Center (CIP)-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP) as representatives of the AsiaBlight Philippines and the Asia Pacific Region.
During the conference, Masangcay presented the paper titled, “Research Highlights on Potato and Late Blight in Benguet, Philippines”. She said that their presentation dealt with the research findings and management of late blight on potatoes since the 1980s to present. The conference was organized to enhance collaboration and address concerns and challenges besetting the potato industry on late blight, a kind of disease experienced worldwide that is limiting mass production of potato and that it cannot be controlled without fungicide. She added that around 45 delegates coming from the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Nepal and CIP-Peru attended the conference and BSU has been invited to join AsiaBlight conferences since 2015.
As an offshoot of the conference, BSU will be formalizing its partnership with CCCAP, the satellite CIP station in China. Masangcay said that a draft Memorandum of Agreement has already been forwarded to the CCCAP for feedback.
AsiaBlight is a network of scientists, government officials, farmers, institutes, companies and other stakeholders working towards better management of potato late blight in Asia. Since 2018, the CCCAP has been hosting and heading the AsiaBlight.//ASantiago