Gavino Trono

Gavino Trono Jr., Ph.D. (born 1931) is a Filipino biologist dubbed as the "Father of Kappaphycus farming".[1] He was conferred the rank of National Scientist of the Philippines for contributions to the study of tropical marine phycology, focusing on seaweed biodiversity. He is currently working as a technical consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Aquaculture Seaweed Research and Development and is a professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.

Gavino C. Trono Jr.
Born (1931-11-11) November 11, 1931
Philipines
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman
De La Salle-Araneta University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Known forSeaweed Farming
AwardsNational Scientist of the Philippines
Scientific career
FieldsBiology

Education and career

Trono obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in botany from the University of the Philippines Diliman, his master's degree in agricultural botany from the Araneta University and his doctorate in botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research focuses on seaweeds including studies on the culture of Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria spp., Caulerpa lentillifera, and Halymenia durvillei for coastal communities.[2] He wrote an academic paper reporting the occurrence of ice-ice disease that had affected seaweed farms.[3] This disease devastated the commercial production of seaweed in the Philippines.[3] The seaweed is farmed for the food additive carrageenan.[4]

Trono led the assessment of several coastal areas in Western Mindanao as potential sites for seaweed farms; and discovered twenty-five (25) new marine benthic algae.[3] He also established the largest phycological herbarium in the country – the G.T. Velasquez Herbarium in the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Marine Science Institute[5] and authored two-volume books on Field Guide and Atlas of the Seaweed Resources of the Philippines, considered as the most authoritative books in the country on the seaweed flora.[6]

Trono was conferred the rank of National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014 by Benigno Aquino III, the President of the Philippines. This award has been made to just over thirty leading scientists and this gives them a pension of life as well as a seat at important national ceremonies.[1] The award was for his contributions to tropical marine phycology, focusing on seaweed biodiversity.[7]

Awards and recognition

References
  1. "Dr. Trono is the New National Scientist". Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. "National Scientists | PNoy confers honors on Alcala, Trono, Gomez, Barba". August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  3. "Academician Gavino C. Trono, Jr. is National Scientist". Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  4. Hurtado, A. J., et al. (2006). Occurrence of Polysiphonia epiphytes in Kappaphycus farms at Calaguas Is., Camarines Norte, Philippines. Archived 2014-10-20 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Applied Phycology 18:301-06.
  5. Sabillo, Kristine Angelli (August 12, 2014). "Who are the 4 new National Scientists of PH?". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  6. Panares, Joyce Pangco (March 21, 2014). "Aquino names UP marine expert national scientist". Manila Standard Today. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  7. Proclamation no. 737, s. 2014 , retrieved 29 August 2014
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