Ramon Cabanos Barba ONS (August 31, 1939 – October 10, 2021) was a Filipino inventor and horticulturist[1][2] best known for inventing a way to induce more flowers in mango trees using ethrel and potassium nitrate.[3] Barba was proclaimed a National Scientist of the Philippines in June 2014.[4][5]
Ramon Barba | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, National Academy of Science and Technology | |
| Born | August 31, 1939 |
| Died | October 10, 2021 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines Los Baños University of Georgia University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| Occupation | Horticulturist |
| Awards | National Scientist of the Philippines |
Early life and education
editThe son of Juan Madamba Barba and Lourdes Cabanos of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, Barba was born on August 31, 1939,[6] the youngest of four siblings.[7] He finished his elementary schooling at Sta. Rosa Academy in 1951.[7] After high school, he went to the University of the Philippines, where orchid researcher Helen Layosa Valmayor became his biology laboratory instructor.[7]
Barba then took up a Bachelor of Science course in agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, majoring in Agronomy and Fruit Production, eventually graduating in 1958. His grandfather, Juan Cabanos, was an official of the Bureau of Plants and Industry (BPI); his instructor, L.G. Gonzales, is considered the "father of Philippine horticulture."[8]
Career in horticulture
editGraduate studies
editBarba received a scholarship from the University of Georgia where he began conducting experiments on inducing the flowering of plants using gibberellic acid and potassium nitrate as a fertilizer. He graduated with distinction with a Master of Science in Horticulture from the university in 1962.[1][2]
Barba then took up a PhD course in plant physiology, specializing in Tropical Fruits and Tissue Culture from the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, graduating in 1967.[9]
Induction of flowering of the mango by chemical spray
editThere were initial objections to Barba's research proposals for inducing flowering in mango. He conducted experiments with help from his friends Jose and Rita Quimson of Quimara Farms in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.[8][10] Previously, mangoes were only available in the Philippines in May; owing to Barba's innovation as initially tested at Quimara Farms, mango trees can be induced to flower out of season using potassium nitrate and not only in May, which would lead to fruiting several times a year without harming the plants, drastically elevated the productivity of the mango farms.[11] His study, titled Induction of Flowering of the Mango by Chemical Spray was named best paper by the Crop Science Society of the Philippines (CSSP) in 1974.[12] Barba was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in Agriculture that same year.[2]
In an interview released by the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2011, Barba recounts that he did not initially file a patent for his method, wanting farmers to be able to use the technique freely. Eventually, though, somebody else tried to patent the process, so Barba preemptively filed a patent application, choosing simply not to charge royalties for the use of his method.[3]
In 2001, Barba also cautioned fruit farmers that "too much flower inducer spraying (is) bad for mangoes".[13]
Other studies
editBarba advanced the research on various tropical crops besides mangoes. His many research breakthroughs include banana micropropagation and tissue culture of sugarcane and tissue culture of calamansi, all of which have lasting impacts on the respective agribusiness potentials of these commodities.[1][14]
Death
editBarba died on October 10, 2021, at the age of 82.[9][15] A state funeral was accorded to Barba, who was laid to rest at the Heroes’ Cemetery in Taguig on October 16.[6]
External links
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
| A YouTube videoclip on Ramon Barba featured by the UN and FAO at Expo 2015 | |
 Dr. Ramon Barba – Inventor, Philippines Credits: WIPO, with support from governments of Japan and Philippines. |
- March, Elizabeth (June 2008). "The Scientist, the Patent and the Mangoes - Tripling the Mango Yield in the Philippines". WIPO Magazine. WIPO. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- "The Scientist, the Patent and the Mangoes – Tripling the Mango Yield in the Philippines". www.wipo.int. WIPO. May 3, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- "Academician Ramon C. Barba named as National Scientist". www.nast.ph. National Academy of Science and Technology.
- Proclamation no. 783, s. 2014
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ramon Barba - Filipino Scientist". Inventors.about.com. March 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Ramon Barba, Researcher Curriculum Vitae". UPD.edu.ph. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008.
- ^ a b World Intellectual Property Organization. "Dr Ramón Barba, inventor, Philippines." May 26, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iDCTvR1Hg Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Yanuario, Rose Anne G. "National Scientist Ramon C. Barba, 82, passes away". Department of Science and Technology (Philippines). Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Calica, Aurea (December 16, 1976). "Palace names 2 National Scientists | Science and Technology, Business Features, The Philippine Star". philstar.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
- ^ a b Luci-Atienza, Charissa (October 16, 2021). "National Scientist Ramon Barba laid to rest". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Ramon Barba - Biography, Facts and Pictures". FamousScientists.org. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Andrade, Jeannette I. (August 24, 2014). "National scientist Ramon Barba made country world's second biggest mango producer". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Luci-Atienza, Charissa (October 11, 2021). "National Scientist Ramon Barba passes away". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Panela, Shaira (August 12, 2014). "Dr Ramon Barba: Science 'against all odds'". Rappler. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Tan, Michael L. (October 13, 2021). "Thanking Ramon Barba (1939-2021)". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "The Scientist, the Patent and the Mangoes – Tripling the Mango Yield in the Philippines". World Intellectual Property Organization. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Pablico, Sosimo Ma (December 23, 2001). "Too much flower inducer spraying bad for mangoes". Philstar.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "NAST academician gets top Southeast Asian scientist award". PIA Press Release. Philippine Information Agency. November 29, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "National Scientist Ramon Barba passes away". ABS-CBN News. October 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.