last updated: 31 October 2005

Reyes, Renato G.

Rene, as his friends and colleagues call him, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Science City of Munoz in the Philippines. He obtained his Ph.D. in Forest Science (Mushroom Science and Biotechnology) from Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan in 1999 under the Japanese Government Ministry of Education Scholarship program. Juxtaposed with his academic and administrative job at CLSU, he simultaneously finished two M.S. degrees in Crop Protection (Plant Pathology) from CLSU and Biology from De La Salle University in 1990 where he did research on the efficient utilization of agro-industrial and forestry wastes for Pleurotus sajor-caju and crop production under the guidance of Prof. Apolonia L. Lalap. His interest on mushroom research commenced after obtaining his B.S. in Agriculture (Cum Laude) degree from CLSU in 1984. His doctoral research work dealt on the protoplast hybridization of commercial and wild strains of Philippine paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea). Right after obtaining his Ph.D in 1999, he got a post doctoral research fellowship award from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). As a Visiting Scientist at Tokyo University of Agriculture and with Prof. Dr. Miyato Higaki as his host scientist, he pursued research on the domestication of Philippine wild edible mushroom, Collybia reinakeana, a virtually unknown edible mushroom.

Most of his researches were presented in international conferences and most of which were published in local and internationally refereed journals. Three of his scholarly works were nationally recognized as follows: National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Outstanding Monograph in 2001 for his monograph entitled Mushroom Science and Technology in Central Luzon, Philippines and two best research papers for his works on the domestication of Schizophyllum commune and development of production technology for Agaricus bitorquis. Currently, Rene is attending a one year advanced training course on modern industrial biotechnology at the Federal Republic of Germany organized by InWent - GBF and the Ministry of International Economic Cooperation of the Federal Government of Germany. His research - training which is on the exopolysaccharides of S. commune is under the tutelage of PD. Prof. Dr. Udo Rau of the Technical University of Braunsweig.

With his mission of bridging the gap between the academe and village ·based bio-industry, Rene continuously helps the emerging mushroom industry in the rural areas of the Philippines by sharing his expertise and time as volunteer technical consultant and extension worker on spawn and mushroom production. Most of his research outputs have been transformed into practical technologies and are being adopted by the rural growers in the countryside.