By Frances Batara, StratCom Correspondent 

Geared toward sustainable crop production, the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and the University of Georgia (UGA) organized a lecture forum on February 14 at the MMSU University Review Center (URC).

Focusing on entomology, plant pathology, and horticulture, Dr. Robert Kemerait, Jr., professor of the department of plant pathology; Mr. Jeremy Kichler, UGA county extension coordinator of Colquitt County; Mr. Ty Torrance, UGA county extension in agriculture and natural resources vegetable agent; Dr. Alton Sparks and Dr. Mark Abney, professors of the department of entomology; and Dr. Ted McAvoy, assistant professor of the department of horticulture, served as guest lecturers. 

Students from the BS Agriculture program enrolled in crop protection and horticulture courses attended the forum.

Dr. Charline Batin, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development (CAFSD), commended the university and the Department of Agricultural Sciences (DAS) faculty members for their continuous commitment to internationalization initiatives. He also challenged the students to take the lead and be the epitome of positive change in their chosen fields of specialization. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Sean Vidad, chair of DAS, highlighted that the forum aims to “create an environment that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration and that involvement to such fosters continuous learning.”

Among the topics discussed were basic disease management, sample collection and identification, insect management in vegetables, insect management in peanuts and sweet potatoes, and improving yields in onions and other crops.

The UGA team also presented the results of on-farm site visits focusing on disease diagnosis and management in crop production to agricultural officers and farmers.

MMSU and UGA continue to enable agricultural systems to address pressing problems farmers face that affect food security and sustainability from 2021. Led by Dr. Kemerait, the UGA team is currently assisting MMSU in advancing research in crop protection and agricultural extension. -𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙖 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙯 (MKA, StratCom)