MIS No. 8: The Ganoderma Selective Medium (GSM)

Basal Stem Rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense is the most serious disease of oil palm in Malaysia. Isolation of the pathogen from diseased tissues, espcecially from infected roots, is difficult due to heavy contamination by soil inhabiting bacteria and fungi. It is important, therefore, that a medium selective for this fungus be developed to facilitate various … Read more

MIS No. 7: Palm Oil – Based Ink – A New Downstream Product

Palm oil-based printing ink is a recent innovation of a collaborative research project between Coates Brothers (M) Sdn Bhd and the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM). Begun in the middle of 1990, the project has gone through the usual stages of laboratory formulation and testing, through pilot plant production to final testing of … Read more

MIS No. 5: The Grabber – An Important Development Towards Reducing Dependence on Labour

Oil palm plantations are highly dependent on manual labour. It has been estimated that, on the average, about 50 man-days are required per hectare. In recent years the agricultural sector of the industry has experienced labour shortage problems. As a result numerous operations including harvesting, and other agronomic activities in the plantations have been significantly affected, … Read more