Layla Francisco, a BS Agriculture student from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), has been selected to receive the 2025 PMCP-LEADS Agri Best Undergraduate Thesis Award in Plant Pathology from the Philippine Phytopathological Society (PPS).
Her thesis, “Phenotypic Screening and Determination of Possible Candidate Gene Combinations for Neck Blast Resistance in Selected Green Super Rice Parental Varieties,” was rated the highest among five entries submitted for this year’s competition. The research was conducted at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and focused on improving resistance to neck blast disease in rice through genetic screening of selected GSR parental lines.
She will present her work during the 57th PMCP Anniversary and Annual Scientific Conference to be held on 7–11 July 2025 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and her thesis will be published in the Journal of Tropical Plant Pathology.
Reflecting on her experience, Layla shared that “Working on rice neck blast at the International Rice Research Institute taught me that research is not merely academic, it reflects the realities of farmers’ struggles and the responsibility I hold as a young researcher to develop solutions that support agricultural communities.”
Her thesis was completed in collaboration with the IRRI Hybrid Rice Team led by Dr. Jauhar Ali, with support from Dr. Van Schepler-Luu, Dr. Mary Jeanie Yanoria, Dr. Varunseelan Murugaiyan, Dr. Johnny Balidion, Erik Jon De Asis, and Christian John Robiso.
