(MPOB Transfer of Technology)
Crude pal oil (CPO) is produced in palm oil mills by squeezing the oil out from the digested mesocarp of the palm fruits. The current practice at all the palm oil mills in Malaysia is to use mechanical screw presses to squeeze out the oil from the mesocarp. However, mechanical methods have their limitations as … Read more
In 2010, the oil palm planted area in Malaysia was 5.0 million hectares. The oil palm industry is labour-intensive, requiring many workers for the various plantation operations. The current system of infield collection of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) using trailer-type vehicles; in particular the mini-tractor-trailer system, is well-received by estate management. However, their … Read more
The total area of peatland in Malaysia is approximately 2.42 million hectares, with 719 944 ha (30%) in Peninsular Malaysia, 121 514 ha (4.6%) in Sabah and 1 588 142 ha (65.4%) in Sarawak. Currently, the total area of oil palm planted on peat soil is about 666 038 ha (mainly in Sarawak). Most of … Read more
Pheromone trapping is considered an easy method for controllung flying insects. Several studies have shown that mass trapping has been used either in long-term pest management [e.g. conling moth (Cydia pomonella), pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), bark beetles, palm weevils, corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.) and fruit flies], or in the eradication of invasive species [e.g. gypsy … Read more
Interest in biological control has increased considerably in respone to the various effects of pesticides on the environment. Boilogical control favours conservation and the sustainable use of biological resources. Mass rearing and release of natural enemies are needed to attain sufficiently low pest populations. Oftern the success of biological control through an increased release of … Read more
Termites can be a serious threat to oil palm grown on peat, particularly during the early development of the crop. The common control method against termites is by the use of chemicals. Chlorprifos and fipronil are the most widely used insecticides for termite management (Zulkefli, 2007). Chemical spraying onto palm trunks up to the shoots … Read more
Basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm, caused by Ganoderma species, is considered the most destructive disease in the oil palm industry in Southeast Asia. The efficacy of bacteria from the genera Pseudomonas and Burkholderia in controling Ganoderma boninse has been reported. Maizatul and Idris (2009) reported that a pure culture of the endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae, also … Read more
Advantage in biotechnology have led to a significant increase in the use of microbes as biological control agents for plant pathogens. Relatively few of these microbes have been commercialised as bio-control agents due to their inconsistent performance in the field, interactions with non-target organisms, varying rhizosphere or soil colonisation by the bio-control agent, problems in … Read more
Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is the selection of desirable genotypes in conventional breeding using DNA-based diagnostic tools. By applying MAS, palms with the desired genotype can be differentiated early by their DNA, even before the characteristic trait can manifest itself visually. The availability of genetic maps, on which DNA markers such as Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) … Read more
Carotenoids are a group of isoprenoid pigments which are widely distributed in nature. They are synthesized by all photosynnthetic bacteria and fungi. Carotenoids protect the photosynthetic apparatus from photo-oxidation, and represent structural components of light-harvesting antenna and reaction-centre complexes. Dietary carotenoids fulfil essential requirements for human and animal nutrition. B-carotene is the most potent dietary … Read more