The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP) is eagerly awaiting the issuance of the invention patent on insecticide from kakawate (Gliricidia sepium), also known as madre de cacao.

Kakawate, a tropical plant, is commonly planted as fences in agricultural lands because it grows easily and prevents top soil erosion.

“Six years after filing the application for an invention patent, the NRCP now sees the forthcoming awarding of the invention patent on insecticide from kakawate, pending the final issuance of letters patent,” DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said in a Facebook post on Monday, July 5.

He said the invention patent covers the use of organic compounds from kakawate, as an effective insecticide.

“IPO (Intellectual Property Office) patent database further states that the compounds can be used to repel insects and reduce oviposition in the field during mating season to the host plant,” de la Peña said.

"The use of organic chemical compounds from plants in pest management can help reduce the use of synthetic insecticides which is harmful to health and to the environment. This can also improve crop growth and avoid the spread of diseases by repelling insects,” he added.

Kakawate is also used for intercropping because of its nitrogen-fixing property which increases crop yield without the need of chemical fertilizers.

De la Peña said the invention patent is an off-shoot of the NRCP-funded project in 2012. The study zeroed in on the volatile organic chemical profile of eggplant (Solanum melongena), tag bak (Kolowratia elegans), and kakawate (Gliricidia sepium) with implications to pest management of selected major pests of rice, eggplant, and tomato.

“This study investigated the volatile organic chemical profile of various eggplant varieties with varying susceptibilities to eggplant fruit shoot borer and relate the presence of these chemicals to oviposition preference of this major insect pest,” he said.

“It also aimed to determine the volatile organic chemical profile of tag bak and kakawate to validate farmer knowledge on the usefulness of these plants in insect pest management in rice and tomato production,” he added.

NRCP member, Dr. Susan May Calumpang, together with Drs. Mario and Marcela Navasero spearheaded the project.

“They are now accorded as the inventors of the insecticide from kakawate. The Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) was instrumental in patenting the technology,” de la Peña said.

The DOST chief explained the importance of an invention patent.

“In the academic research setting, an invention patent is a sign of novelty of research outputs,” he said.

In its website, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) defines an invention patent as “a government-issued grant, bestowing an exclusive right to an inventor over a product or process that provides any technical solution to a problem in any field of human activity which is new, inventive, and industrially applicable.”

De la Peña cited that the NRCP is proud of its members for being accorded as inventors of the insecticide from kakawate.

“This likewise marks a milestone achievement for the NRCP for being the owner of the patent and it opens up many possible opportunities for the Council, as well as the researchers, interested adopters of the technology, and ultimately the farmers who will benefit from the kakawate insecticide,” he said.

“In planning for the future developments of the technology, NRCP will consider the potential benefits and risks associated in the possible commercialization of the technology and explore how this milestone can translate into an incentive for innovation.”