Basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by species of Ganoderma is presently the most prevalent and devastating disease in oil palm cultivation, especially in mature palm areas in Malaysia. Some of the estate practices for controlling this disease consist of surgical, removal of infected palms, soil mounding, fungicide treatment or combination of these methods (Ariffin […]

The threat of Ganoderma, the causal agent of basal stem rot (BSR) disease to the oil palm industry in Malaysia warrants new and more aggressive approaches in Tfinding solution to this disease. The situation is more critical with the active replanting of second generation of oil palm which is currently being carried out in some […]

Malaysia has about 2.3 million hectares of peat land (Halim et al., 1990). Peat is a heterogeneous mixture of more or less decomposed plant (humus) material that has accumulated in a water saturated environment and in the absence of oxygen. Its structure ranges from more or less decomposed plant remains to a fine amorphic, colloidal […]

Oryctes rhinoceros (L) is an important pest in oil palm replanting. The adults are commonly captured via pheromone traps in oil palm plantations. These trap captures arethen destroyed and disposed off by the estate management. However, it should be realized that these adult beetles offer an alternative source of protein which can be used as […]

The entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae is one of the pathogens of the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (Latch, 1976). Effective control of the beetle is achieved by drenching the spore solution or broadcasting the growing substrates of the pathogen onto the breeding sites of the beetle (Ramle et al., 1999). The fungus infects all stages of the […]