The "Tanuman ni Juan" Plantation Members:

MARK GERALD MALDO

as:

• Group Leader

• Blog administrator

• Blog layout artist

• Maker and poster of blog

• etc....

BLOG CONTRIBUTORS:

• Leah Himor
• Lyra Manallo
• Lebnitz Liro
• Joel Gustuir

MANGO PLANTATION (Brgy. San Francisco, Bulan)

Did you know?

Mangos are the most popular fruit in the World

• Mangos were first grown in India over 5,000 years ago
• A basket of mangos is considered a gesture of friendship in India
  
• Legend says that Buddha meditated under the cool shade of a mango tree
• Mangos are related to cashews and pistachios
• A mango tree can grow as tall as 100 feet
• The bark, leaves, skin and pit of the mango have been used in folk remedies for centuries

Mango Nutrition

• A one-cup serving of mangos is just 100 calories
• Mangos provide 100% of your daily vitamin C, 35% of your daily vitamin A and 12% of your daily fiber

_________________________________________________________________________________

   “The king of the fruits," mango fruit is one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruits with unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and heath promoting qualities making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often labeled “super fruits."

   Mango is one of the delicious seasonal fruits grow in the tropics. The tree is believed to be originating in the sub-Himalayan plains of Indian subcontinent. Botanically, this exotic fruit belongs within the family of Anacardiaceae, a family that also includes numerous species of tropical-fruiting trees in the flowering plants such as cashew, pistachio,...etc.

   Mrs. Jenena Grey and her siblings are helping together in taking care of their mango trees. They have been doing it for almost how many years since their parents are still alive. Their parent plants the trees and since then, the trees keep on producing fruits.

   They have 12 baring fruit trees, 10 for “kinalabaw” mango and 2 for “indian” mango. The trees are planted in a hectare of land. The “Indian” mango can produce fruits without even spraying some artificial flowering chemicals, while the “kinalabaw” mango is the one who requires it to be able to produce flowers and bare fruits.

Production of Mango Tree

   A mango tree will takes long years before it can produce fruits. But when the is mature and ready for flowering, it is now the time that is best to give it a chemical that can help produce more flowers give good quality of fruit. In order for it to identify if is mature, the leaves of the tree’s color is darker green.

   “Mango Bloom” is the chemical that they use to make the tree bare flowers and “Magnum” is used as insecticide. The flower is being attacked by insects that’s why using insecticide is a lot more helpful. The harvest season is about 5-6 months from being a flower to a mango fruit.

   Its fruit is sold 15 pesos for wholesaler and 20 pesos for retailer when fresh picked from the tree and 40 pesos for wholesaler and 50 pesos for retailer when the fruit is already ripe only for “kinalbaw”. They can get an income of 20-25 thousand pesos per harvest per year of both those two kinds of mango.

Problems confronting the Plantation

• Always requires flowering chemicals enable to produce.
• Insects that attack and destroy the flowers.
• Weather conditions such as rain that destroys the flower and typhoon that destroys everything from the mango tree.

Some Photos taken during the Interview:

~ authored by Libnetz Liro

Sources:
• http://www.mango.org/mango-fun-facts

• www.nutrition-and-you.com/mango-fruit.html

SUGARCANE PLANTATION (Brgy. Aquino "Uyango", Bulan)

Did you know?

• Sugar Cane Is a Cure for Hiccups

   Some people claim that the hiccups can be cured with sugar from sugar cane. They claim that you need to swallow one teaspoon of sugar, dry, from sugar cane. Then you will stop hiccupping (Sugar Cane Fun Facts).

• Hydration of Sugar Cane Was Won with a Poker Game

   Charles Spreckles bought dry land in Puuene, Hawaii. He bought the land at a cheap price because the Hawaiians thought it was cursed. He could grow sugar cane there, but he needed water. After winning a game of poker against King Kalakaua of Hawaii, Spreckles was allowed to irrigate 50 million gallons of water per day from Haiku, Hawaii to Puuene, Hawaii (Maui Hawaii Sugar Cane).

• Commercial Sugar Cane Is Made from Stalks

   Sugar cane can be grown from seeds. However, all commercial sugar cane is grown from stalks. This is known as ratoon cropping. The good points about ratoon cropping are that the ratoons mature quicker than sugar cane planted from seed and the cost of cultivation is less. Yet, there are also disadvantages. These are thinner crops, low sugar content, and

the increased risks of pests and diseases (Mundra).

• Just Because It's Brown, Doesn't Mean It's Pure

   Sugar might come from pure cane sugar or it might be beet sugar (meaning it comes from the roots). Brown cane sugar is naturally brown. However, beet sugar is not naturally brown. Instead, it is sprayed with a brown cane molasses spray. The sugar is only pure if the package reads "pure cane sugar (Sugar Cane Fun Facts)."

_________________________________________________________________________________

History of the sugar and the world economy would look drastically different without the presence of sugarcane, incredible plant that drove many changes in our modern history and forged the basis of the modern cuisine. With its incredible ability to create and store sucrose in large quantities, sugarcane went from unknown wild species of Asian perennial true grasses to the world’s largest cultivated crop.

Mrs. Evelyn Galido is a 54-year-old widowed wife. She has been planting different kinds of plant to her land. Along with her childhood years, her parent was cultivating lands too. As her parent past away, she continued what they have thought to her. By this time of her age, she said that almost more that 4 decades now that she’s planting crops.

Along with it, our attentions were caught when we saw some sugarcane on her land. Almost half a hectare of land it covers. Sad to say, but few of the plants were still on its root because some are already harvested and some are being attacked by pest. She has three types of sugarcane, the violet, black and the green, but the violet was above of all.

Production of Sugarcane

   In planting sugarcane, both the stem and the top part of the plant are able to grow but Mrs. Evelyn told us that it is wisely to plant its top part so that the plant will just continue grow its stem and less time consuming. This plant can grow on rainy or in sunny weather.

   Its takes 6 months for it to be able to harvest after planting. She said that good timing of harvest is a sunny weather because the juice of the plant is sweet unlike in rainy days the juice is not so sweet and you can taste lot more of water. She plant this not for sale but for family consumption only especially her grandchildren likes chewing sugarcane and extracting its juice that they consider this as a candy on their mount.

Problems confronting the Plantation

• Rats are pest that ate the stems of the sugarcane.
• Unfertilized land that is not very good for planting.

Some photos during the interview:

~ authored by Lyra Manallo

Sources:
• http://www.sugarhistory.net/sugar-making/sugarcane/
• http://voices.yahoo.com/top-5-facts-sugar-cane-11561782.html

PINEAPPLE PLANTATION (Brgy. San Francisco, Bulan)

Did you know?

• Pineapple is not, strictly speaking, a fruit. Rather it is 100-200 fruitlets all fused together!
• Pineapple is good for colds and coughs. Pineapples are packed with Vitamin C and all the flu fighting goodness you'd expect to get from orangesexcept pineapples have something EXTRA special! Bromelain, an enzyme which is found in pineapples, is excellent for digestion and has been found to help suppress coughs and loosen mucus.
  
• Although originally from South America, most of the world's pineapples now come from Southeast Asia. Thailand is said to be the biggest producer of pineapples in the region.
• One pineapple plant produces only one pineapple every 2 years.
• Pineapple plant can fruit for up to 50 years in the wild.
• The word "pineapple" was first used in 1398 in reference to a pine cone. It is derived from the Spanish word "piña" which means pine cone. This was changed nearly 300
  
  years later with the word "pine cone" being introduced so pineapple could be used exclusively for the fruit. You might also recognize the Spanish word "piña" from the name of the most popular pineapple drink the piña colada.
• Pineapple canneries use every bit of the pineapple. The skins, core and end portions are used to make a variety of products including vinegar, alcohol and animal food. It's always great when you don't have to waste anything.
• Bromelain is an enzyme contained in pineapple which breaks down proteins. This enzyme isn't only a good for your digestion of protein but it also means you can use pineapple juice as a meat tenderizer.

__________________________________________________________________________________

   Pineapple is one of the famous and nutritious fruit in the world. It is a fruit with very rich in Vitamin C. Many companies and manufacturers produce different kind of product with pineapple as the main source of ingredient. There are candies, juices, and other food products that are made with this fruit. Its leaves are good source of fiber that are

made into clothes. This plant grows in many countries and produce large amount of harvest for local and international consumers.

   Mr. Felipe Fortes planted different types of plants on his land. There are bananas, tamarind, pili nut, rambutan, cassava, sweet potato and most especially pineapple. Some Pineapples are planted under the banana tree area and some are not. A 1 hectare of land covered by this plant. And approximately one thousand plus pineapple plant are planted.

   He has two types of pineapple plant – the native (locally know pineapple) and the Hawaiian (imported from Irosin). The Native pineapple are sometimes taste a little bit sour and itchy in the throat while the Hawaiian has bigger fruit and sweeter than other one and free from itchiness.

Production of Pineapple

   A pineapple is planted by detaching its bulb from its mother plant but it can also be planted by twisting off the fruit’s crown. This plant is versatile in the weather condition; it can survive in an extreme heat and rain. Some additional tip from Mr. Felipe, “If you want to have a better and bigger pineapple fruit, then you should plant it during full moon season,” he said. Sounds like a superstitious belief, but for some, believing in that such

things mean no harm.

   Because of having a poor condition of land soil, he consumes 4-5 sacks of Atlas Fertilizer for 1 hectare of land. Using fertilizer can greater the amount and production of pineapples. The plant’s pick seasons is from May to July and takes 9-12 months before harvest. The selling price of the fruit is 12-15 pesos per kilograms for wholesaler and 15-20 pesos for retailer.

Problems confronting the Plantation

• Rats destruction that ate the fruit.
• Poor class of the soil that requires fertilizer.

Some photos taken during the interview:

~ authored by Leah Himor

Sources:

• http://www.kingoffruit.com.au/fun-pineapple-facts.html

BANANA PLANTATION (Brgy. San Francisco, Bulan)

Did You Know?

• The scientific name for banana is musasapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men.”
• Bananas float in water, as do apples and watermelons.
• The Banana Club Museum, located on Highway 111 in Mecca, Calif. (just south of Palm Springs), houses the world’s largest collection devoted to any one fruit. It contains more than 17,000 banana items, most of which have been donated by members.
• If you rub the inside of a banana peel on a scrape or burn, it will help the pain go away, keep the swelling down, and keep the wound from getting infected.
• If you rub the inside of a small piece of banana peel on a wart every night (or tape a
  
  piece of peel over the wart), the potassium in the peel can make the wart disappear in one to two weeks.
• To whiten teeth naturally, rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth for about two minutes every night. If you gargle with salt water, this will heighten the effect. Expect results in about two weeks. It works because of the effect of the potassium, magnesium, and manganese in the banana peel.
• Rubbing a banana peel on your forehead can help cure a headache. 
• More than 100 billion bananas are eaten every year in the world, making them the fourth most popular agricultural product. 
• A cluster of bananas is called a hand, and a single banana is called a finger. Each banana hand has about 10 to 20 fingers.
• About 75 percent of the weight of a banana is water.

__________________________________________________________________________________

   An approximately two hectares of land planted with different varieties of bananas. According to Mr. Felipe Fortes, the type of soil of the land is Class-B, which means the land has the average rate of production of plants. The plants in this type of soil need fertilizer.

   Majority of the lands plant is Saba or locally known as “Calibo”. The Saba covers around 70 percent of the land and the other 30 percent to those other types of bananas. There are more than five hundred planted Saba and more than one hundred planted for the other types.

Production of Plantation

A Banana is planted not by seed but by bulb. A banana bulb when planted will take about two years before it bear fruits, then, 8 to 9 months when it is ready to harvest. Mr. Felipe give us a tip when to plant banana that will produce a very good fruit – when separating the bulb from the mother tree, it is best to plant it early in the morning but make sure that the fog in the leaves are already dry because leaving the fog on the leaves will make its fruit a not so good looking and each fingers will be small and few hands will be produce.

Mr. Felipe can harvest 20 to 25 trees per month. He can sell it 10 pesos per kilo for wholesaler and 12-15 pesos per kilo for retailer or 15 pesos per hand for wholesaler and 20-25 pesos per hand for retailer. However, not all the plants can produce good quality of fruit. There are some rejected due to improper ripening of fruit and some are eaten by birds when it is still on the tree.

Problems confronting the Plantation

• Cold season, that causes the plant not to bear good quality fruit.
• Plants destroyed by different calamities.
• Birds that eat the fruits.
• The soil needs to be fertilized.

Some Photos taken during the interview:

~authored by Joel Gustuir

Sources:
• http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/09/15-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-bananas/
• http://thebananapolice.com/fun-facts/

CASSAVA AND SWEET POTATO (Brgy. Inararan, Bulan)

DID YOU KNOW?

1. CASSAVA FACTS

• Considered a vegetable and staple food specially during lean months and typhoon months. Cassava and sweet potato are the root crops commonly grown in Bicol. These commodities have special agronomic characteristics and performance that it is potential cannot be undermined.
• Cassava is a perennial plant that thrives well even in poor soils. Its edible parts - leaves and tuberous roots - provide vitamins and protein. It is also comparable to potatoes, except that it has twice the fiber content and a higher level of potassium.
• Cassava can be processed into starch, noodles, seasoning and sweets. It is also used as a substitute in the processing of animal food. It can also be made into pellets, chips and pearl. The chips can be used for alcohol production. 
• Cassava is now used to produce biodegradable plastics and some medical, horticultural and sporting good products.

2. SWEET POTATO FACTS

• Sweet potato, locally known as camote, is usually eaten boiled or baked, and may be candied with syrup or processed into puree. It is a source of starch, glucose, syrup and alcohol and now used as a major ingredient for feeds. Its tops and leaves are utilized as a pot-herb and the vines as fodder for livestock. 
  

• Sweet potato plays an essential role in the tropics as a food security crop because of its (1) relative tolerance to water stress, (2) dual utilization, either for human consumption or animal feed, (3) high nutritional value, i.e., high content of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and vitamins, (4) relatively short growing season, and (5) adaptation to a wide range of environmental conditions.

__________________________________________________________________________________

There are lots of root crops plantation here in Bicol Region such in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate. Bulan is one town in Sorsogon Province, which is abundant in production of root crops. Nearly, most of the local barangay’s residents or farmers here are engaged in this kind of farming. Mang Pancho is one of them. He is cultivating an approximately 0.4 hectares of land as a tenant in farming Cassava and Sweet Potato because most the land are coconut plantation that’s why the land is not so good in planting these root crops. 

Based from other farmers, it is better to cultivate Cassava and Sweet Potato in a slope-type of land. Because when it rains, water will just pass through it and will stay on it. Too much water can destroy the growth of the plant and reduce its productivity of crops. On Mang Pancho’s condition, his land is a flat surface that is why when there is a continues heavy rain, his crops are often destroyed and will decrease the production of the crops.

For every harvest, Mang Pancho generates 10,000php (plus) for Sweet Potato and 3,500php (plus) for Cassava. When there are much supply of Cassava and Sweet Potato at the market, the price decreases and there comes a times that the crops are hard to sell.

The selling of Sweet Potato is 180php per pail while Cassava is 100php per pail. But in some farmers, the selling of Cassava and Sweet Potato are sold per kilograms which give additional generation of income to the farmers.

Cassava can be yield twice per year or for every six to seven months from planting the crop to harvest. Sweet Potato can be yield thrice per year or for every three to four months from planting the crop to harvest. Based from what Mang Pancho said, the Sweet Potato that he have planted was a new breed came from Antipolo Rizal which can be harvested from a few months time because the old breed can be harvested after five to six months. The larger the area you cultivate, the higher the income you’ll get.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE PRODUCTION OF ROOT CROPS

• Damages caused by weevil and scrab diseases
• Rats (Dagang Bukid) that ate the crops
• Lower yield due to heavy rains
• Climate change which cause large count of typhoons and imbalance weather condition
• Low price selling point of the crops
• Condition and location of planting the crops

FARMER’S BACKGROUND

Most of the people here in the local areas prefer to do farming. Farming is one of the works that needs most of your effort and energy for you to have a good production of crop. The more hard work you give, the more crops you can get. Farming does not require a person to be intellectually knowledgeable in doing the work because experience and patience is what matters most. 

Mr. Pancho Gernale Gelua is a 64 years old farmer. He has three children, 1 son and 2 daughters to her second wife. The first child is 22 y/o and he is married, the second child is 19 y/o and she is a third year college student and the last is 15 y/o and she is a third year high school student. They’re currently residing at Brgy. Inararan boundary of Brgy. Calomagon, Bulan, Sorsogon. 

In ten years time farming of Mang Pancho, it is been a big help to them. He sends his children to school for the betterment of their living ‘cause he believe that when child go to school they have the possibility to have a better future and not just wired on farming. The family are helping in hand in farming the land. they don’t just plant rootcrops, they even plant rice and other types of vegetables. Mang Pancho said, “Farming is my life and I am happy doing it.”

Some Photos Taken during the Interview:

~ authored by: Mark Gerald Maldo ☺

Sources:
• http://cipotato.org/sweetpotato/facts