(MPOB Transfer of Technology)
Vascular wilt of oil palm is caused by a soil-borne fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis (foe). This disease is seriously affecting the oil palm industry in Africa, where yield in some areas have drastically been reduced. Currently, F. oxysporum can be diagnosed up to the species level through a morphological and molecular technique namely, the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Detection … Read more
The Basal Stem Rot (BSR) disease caused by Ganoderma boninense has caused huge economic losses to oil palm plantations (Roslan and Idris, 2012). The disease can be diagnosed based on the presence of basidiomata of the pathogen on the stem base or frond bases or roots (Idris and Ariffin, 2004). Several technologies have been developed for the … Read more
Composts are produced in some palm oil mills as a waste management method to mitigate greenhouse gas *GHG) emmisions from empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME). Vermicomposting has been considered as a method of achieving stabilised compost products (Elvira et al., 1998; gupta and Garg, 2008; Suthar, 2006). Vermicomposting of EFB and … Read more
Mungbean, Vigna radiata is a green seeded legume with pods borne at the top of the plant (Figure 1). The crop originated from India. It was distributed to other topical Asian countries in the early 17th century. It belongs to the family Leguminosae, the same as soyabean, groundnut and chick peas (John Milton Poehlman. 1991). … Read more
Peat or organic soils are soils in which organic soil materials (OSM) form an important protion of the upper 100cm of the soil. These soils generally occur in lowland coastal swamps, inland swamps and valleys, and high altitudes (Paramananthan and Wahid, 2008). Most published data in Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak were 716 944 ha, 121 … Read more
Oil palm cultivation on peat in Malaysia was estimated at 0.67 million hectares (Wahid et al., 2010). The poor physical and chemical properties of peat need amelioration for successful cultivation on peat such as land preparation, planting technique, water management, fertiliser requirements and mechanisation have been documented (Gurmit et al., 1987; Hasnol et al., 2007;2010; Mohd Tayeb, … Read more
Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It is our first line of defense against external dirt, infections and other irritants that could potentially affect our health. Barrier protective products have been developed for skin protection that can ward off external harmful elements, which can penetrate the epidermis and cause untold damage to … Read more
Soap is the product of the reaction between a fatty acid and an alkali. Fatty acids are obtained from the triglycerides (fats and oils) of either animal or plant origin such as palm oil. There are three ways to make soap: saponification of oils/fats; neutralisation of fatty acids; and saponification of methyl esters of fatty … Read more
In 2010, about 13.1 million tonnes of surfactants were used globally, where 56% were anionic surfactants. Almost 49% of the surfactant produced was used in the household product category. Sulphonation plants which mainly produce anionic surfactants are scattered around the globe with capacities varying from 3000 to 50 000 t yr-1. It is estimated that … Read more
An artificial or synthetic seed (SS) is defined as a somatic (SE) or other selected tissue within a coating of a specific material, resembling a zygotic seed. The synthetic coating serves as an endosperm, consisting of among others, carbon sources, nutrients, growth hormones and anti-microbial agents. The synthetic coating and the embryo seed may be … Read more