The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. major is highly effective in controlling the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. It has been mass produced and formulated into a powder bio insecticide (Ramle et al., 2006), and field application of it to rotting oil palm residues significantly reduced the larvae, pre-pupa and pupae populations of the insect (Ramle et […]

Bagworm control with broad-spectrum contact insecticides has often disrupted the balance between the insect and its natural enemies – its predators, parasitoids and microbial pathogens. Most chemical insecticides also affect non-target organisms, and their residues often persist in the environment. The insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are very target specific. Active ingredients of Bt […]

Phosphate rock (PR) is used almost exclusively as P fertilizer for perennial crops in Malaysia. This is attributed to its rapid P dissolution and high P sorption capacity under the high rainfall and acidic soil conditions in the country. It is, of course, also cheap. For decades, Christmas Island Rock Phosphate (CIRP) was the main PR […]

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool to manipulate the genome of an organism for it to produce a new trait(s) or to change its existing trait(s). Plant genetic engineering involves procedures like gene isolation, characterization, modifi cation and, eventually, introduction and expression of the gene in the transgenic plant. It covers the fi elds of […]

The quality of palm oil is primarily determined by its content of free fatty acids (FFA) as they are easily oxidized to make the oil rancid. Sambanthamurthi et al. (1991) reported an increase in FFA in palm oil due to the action of an endogenous lipase. Lipases are one of the most studied groups of […]