MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT

A wealth of plant genetic diversity has developed within the Asia and Pacific region. Four centers of diversity have been identified which include parts of South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. Crops like rice, banana, tea, soybean and citrus have originated from these centers, while other crops such as sweet potato and groundnut have developed enormous diversity in this region after being introduced from other parts of the world. This region also contains a vast range of non-cultivated plant diversity Altogether, this wealth of plant genetic resources has sustained the needs of the peoples of Asia and the Pacific for food, fiber, shelter and medicines, as well as contributing to trade and cultural traditions. Most important of all, these genetic resources will form the building blocks for future crop improvement to support sustainable development and meet the needs of the people in the region.

The Graduate School offers a graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Science in Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Management (MSPGR).. This is the first time that a PGR Masters program has been specifically developed in the Asia /Pacific region. The participating colleges in the program are the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences and Forestry. The student's college affiliation is generally determined by his/her crop/field of interest.

The graduate program in Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Management aims to equip the student with:

• a comprehensive understanding of the PGR concepts, principles and strategies for formal and informal PGR conservation, development and management.

• capacity to manage genebanks, living botanical collections, natural reserves and in situ conservation areas.

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broad knowledge and understanding of policy issues relating to PGR conservation and use.

The program is managed by an interdepartmental committee (Program Management and Admissions Committee) created by the Dean of the Graduate School. This committee is also in charge of pre-screening applicants for admission to the program .

An applicant for admission to the MSPGR program shall be a holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline in the natural sciences from a recognized institution of higher learning and with a high degree of intellectual capacity and aptitude for graduate study and research.

The application for admission form is to be completed and submitted to the Graduate School together with (1) a copy of the official transcript of records for the previous degree earned, (2) certification of the medium of instruction from the university registrar where the student graduated, and (3) two sealed letters of recommendation from previous professors. If the applicant comes from a country where English is not the medium of instruction or whose TOEFL score is less than 600, the applicant shall be required to take the English Proficiency Examination given by UPLB to determine his/ her proficiency level. Level A students shall be required to enroll Level A Intensive English Course for a fee of Philippine pesos 8,000.00 (approximately US$320) apart from the usual registration fee.

The above documents are forwarded by the Graduate School to the Program Management and Admissions Committee for the program. Documents of qualified applicants are then sent to the department concerned which decides the total number of applicants to the program that it can admit in the department for the semester.

The application form and supporting papers must be received by the Graduate School not later than January 31 and July 30 for first and second semester admissions, respectively.

A student entering the MSPGR program is expected to have taken the following foundation courses or their equivalent at UPLB or elsewhere:

Botany 140 Systematics of the Spermatophytes

Agron 152 Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Management

Agron 170 Fundamentals of Seed Technology

The department(s) offering the course(s) shall determine whether the course(s) taken may be considered as equivalent(s) of the required one(s).

A minimum of 24 units of course work is required with at least 18 units in the above 200 level. At least 15 units must be in the major (PGR) field and 9 units in the minor field. The program of study must include any foundation courses that have not been taken by the student previously but units earned in these courses cannot be used to satisfy the unit requirements for the degree, nor for the following core courses required of all students in the program.

PGR 261 Advanced Plant Genetic Resources Evaluation

PGR 262 Characterization and Utilization Methods in Plant Genetic Resources Conservation

PGR 263 Database Management for Genebanks

PGR 299 Graduate Seminar

PGR 300 Masters Thesis

To satisfy the minimum number of units required for the major field, the student may choose from the following suggested courses:

Agron 254 Crop Evolution

Agron 270 Seed Science, Technology and Development

Horti 234 Crop Seed Physiology

Stat 250 Multivariate Statistical Methods

A core course need not be included in the program if the course or its equivalent has been taken by the student at UPLB or elsewhere. However, if the course or its equivalent was taken outside UPLB, the student must pass a validating examination for the course which will be given by the department offering it. The department shall also determine if the course previously taken may be considered as the equivalent of the required one.

To satisfy the minimum number of units required for the minor field, the student may choose from several courses in any of the following disciplines offered by the three participating colleges such as: Agronomy, Horticulture, Plant Breeding, Genetics, Sociology, Anthropology, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Seed Science, Forestry, Botany, Plant Physiology, Statistics, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, and other areas depending on the interest of the student.

After completing the course work requirements, with a weighted average grade of 2.0 or better, a student takes the general oral examination to be given by his/her guidance committee. The examination shall test the student's competence in integrating knowledge in his/her major and minor fields and shall be generally based on all courses prescribed to him/her. Application for the examination duly signed by the members of his/her guidance committee and the chairman of the department in which he/she is affiliated must be submitted to the Graduate School not later than one month before the date of the examination.

A student in the MSPGR program is given an oral examination on his/her thesis once it is completed. The student must apply for this examination not later than two weeks before the date of the examination.

All existing rules of the Graduate School concerning examinations such as the number of times a student is allowed to take a particular examination will be followed.

Adequate research facilities are available in the participating colleges as well as in other units of the university for graduate research that requires microscopes, chemical analyses, tissue culture facilities, controlled environmental conditions and others.

Support for instruction materials and equipment is being provided by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

Collaboration through the Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) can allow students to undertake parts of the program at participating universities in South East Asia.

In addition, facilities of the Genetic Resources Center of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory of the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) are available for graduate research work. IPGRI is providing technical and teaching inputs to the program.

Faculty members of the program, their highest degrees and where and when they earned it, their major and minor fields in the highest degree earned, and their present areas of teaching and research are given below by department affiliation.

TH. Borromeo (M.S., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1983). Plant breeding; plant physiology; plant genetic resources conservation; crop science; rice germplasm conservation; wide hybridization.

A.L. Carpena (Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1970). Population genetics; plant breeding; anther culture in rice breeding.

P. G. Fernandez (Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1987). Crop physiology; biochemistry; seed science and technology; statistics; farming systems.

J.E. Hernandez (Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1985). Plant breeding; plant physiology; rice breeding-

R.M. Lantican (Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1961). Plant breeding genetics; plant physiology; crop science.

E.A. Ramos (M.S., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1989). Plant breeding; crop science; crop simulation and modeling.

de Guzman (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1984). Plant Physiology; horticulture; plantation crop production; essential oils and spices production.

R.R.C. Espino (Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1981). Plant breeding; genetics; fruit crops breeding and production.

L. 0. Namuco (Ph.D., Cornell University, 1985). Plant breeding; plant pathology; horticulture; fruit crops breeding; root stock selection.

T. L. Rosario (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1971). Genetics; cytogenetics; ornamental and bulb crops breeding.

J.B. Sangalang (Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1984). Plant breeding; plantation crops breeding; farming systems; agroforestry.

C.B. Adalla (Ph.D., University. of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1981). Entomology; plant breeding; biochemistry; host-plant resistance; plant resistance to insects; integrated pest management.

E.N. Bernardo (Ph.D, Kansas State University, 1968). Entomology; insect resistance in plants; host-plant resistance.

M. P. Natural (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1983). Plant pathology; plant breeding; host-pathogen interactions; host resistance to pathogens, phytobacteriology.

A.D. Raymundo (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1978). Plant pathology; plant breeding; statistics; epidemiology of plant diseases; genetics of host-parasite interaction.

M.U. Garcia (Ph.D., University of Florida, 1978). Forest genetics; cytogenetics; forest botany; plant anatomy; tissue culture; tree breeding; genetic conservation of forest species.

E. S. Fernando (Ph.D., University of South Wales, 1995). Plant taxonomy; plant morphology and anatomy; forest taxonomy and botany; dendrology.

N.R. Baguinon (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Baflos [candidate]), Forest ecology; silviculture; statistics; agroforestry.

P.G. Lapitan (M.S., University of the Philippines Los Bahos, 1983). Tree physiology; biochemistry; tissue culture; embyology; tree seed physiology and technology

D.B. Cabanilla (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Diliman [candidate]). Anthropology; sociology; social forestry.

D.M. Ramirez (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1988). Forest resources management; social forestry; environmental science; forestry production and conservation technologies.

INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

E.A. Albacea (Ph.D., Australian National University, 1994). Computer science; algorithms.

N.C. Altoveros [(Ph.D., University of Central Queensland (candidate)]. Computer science.

E.A. Coronado (M.S., University of Wollongong, 1996). ~~omputer science; databases; artificial intelligence.

C.L. Khan (M.S., Asian Institute of Technology, 1992). Computer science; databases, artificial intelligence.

R.E.O. Roxas (Ph.D., Australian National University, 1995). Computer science; programming languages; machine translation.

         A.I.N. Gironella (Ph.D., Kansas State University 1978). Statistics.

N.C. Altoveros (M.S., Birmingham University, 1978). Plant genetic resources conservation; crop evolution.

R.E. Coronel (Ph.D., University of California-Riverside, 1971). Fruit crops physiology; plant genetic resources conservation.

D.M. Hautea (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1987). Genetics; agronomy; plant genetics.

R.A. Hautea (Ph.D., Cornell University, 1985). Plant breeding; plant pathology.

E.M.T. Mendoza (Ph.D., University of Massachussetts, 1975). Plant biochemistry.

D.A. Ramirez (Ph.D., Purdue University, 1963). Biochemical genetics; plant physiology; plant pathology; molecular genetics; general genetics; cytogenetics.

C.C. Reafio (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1996). Statistics; biometrics; plant breeding.

V.N. Villegas (Ph.D., Louisiana State University, 1986). Plant breeding; plant pathology; fruit crops breeding; nonconventional breeding.

A.C. de la Vifia (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Baftos, 1994). Genetics; cytogenetics; plant genetic resources conservation.

A.B. Zamora (M.S., University of the Philippines Los Bafios, 1977). Horticulture; plant physiology; tissue culture; in vitro conservation.

A.A. Barrion (Ph.D., University, of the Philippines Los Baiios, 1985). Genetics; entomology; biology; cytology; genetics.

M.G.Q. Diaz (M.S., University of the Philippines Los Baiios, 1993). Genetics; plant breeding; cytogenetics; cell biology; molecular genetics.

W.Sm. Gruezo (Ph.D., University of Alberta, 1988). Systematics; quarternary environments; lichenology.

R. P. Laude (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Bahos, 1984). Genetics; statistics; biochemical and population genetics; molecular biology.

M.S. Mendioro (Ph.D., University of the Philippines Los Batios, 1993). Genetics; plant physiology; cytogenetics; cell biology; biology.

INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

D.S. Brar (Ph.D., Punjab Agricultural University, 1973). Plant breeding; cytogenetics; wide hybridization.

N. Huang (Ph.D., University of California -Davis, 1990). Genetics; non-conventional plant breeding.

M.T. Jackson (Ph.D., Birmingham University, 1975). Botany; plant genetic resources conservation; crop evolution; data management and documentation.

L.M. Engle (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1973). Genetics; cytogenetics; crop resources conservation and management.