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In situ hybridization is a widely used method that permits the localization of target mRNAs in a preserved tissue section. Most in situ hybridization methods use either non-isotopic or isotopically labelled riboprobes. The use of digoxigenin (DIG) compound is popular in the former type of labeling. For this, hybridized DIG-labelled ripoprobes are normally detected with high affinity anti-digoxigenin … Read more

Molecular cytogenetics involves a combination of molecular biology and cytogenetics. In general, this involves the use of a series of techniques referred to as the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), in which DNA probes are labelled with differently coloured fluorescent tags to visualize one or more specific regions of the genome (Figure 1). The technology enables the … Read more

Genetic engineering has been identified as a promising technology to further enhance the value of oil palm via the production of high value traits. Similarly, value can be generated for other plant services to ensure that the transfer of foreign gene(s) has taken place. Among the services are gene/DNA delivery, promoter analysis, and transient and … Read more

Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) is a white powder with high opacity, excellent whiteness, excellent covering power and resistance to colour change. These properties make it an excellent pigment for a broad range of applications – paints, plastic goods, inks and paper. In cosmetic and skin care products, TiO2 is used both as a pigment and thickener, … Read more

Most products are produced to satisfy consumer needs. For quality control, they are tested for their performance. Sometimes, their properties, e.g. viscosity and pH, are measured using various instruments. But, unfortunately, the perceived characteristics cannot be measured by any instrument, and sensory analysis has to be resorted to, instead. Products such as food, household chemicals, cosmetic … Read more

Bacteria such as Serratia, Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and actinomycetes from the genera Streptomycetes, Streptosporangium and Nacardiopsis are able to induce systemic resistance in plants (Kloepper et al., 1992), and shown biological traits like antibiotic activity and lysis. They have been isolated from a wide range of hosts including wild and cultivated crops, such as woody … Read more

Fungi are well-known antagonists of many plant pathogens, and some of them, mainly Trichoderma (Shukla and Uniyal, 1989; Wijesekera et al., 1996; Ilias and Abdullah, 1999), Aspergillus (Shukla and Uniyal, 1989) and Penicillium (Dharmaputra et al., 1989) have been evaluated against Ganoderma. This article describes an in vitro method to evaluate the potential of fungi … Read more

Fungicides are used to control plant diseases. New compounds with novel modes of action have been developed from the 1990s – strobilurins, phenylpyrroles, anilinopyrimidines, phenoxyquinolines and compounds that trigger the plant defence system. There are now 113 compounds registered worldwide as fungicides (Knight et al., 1997). However, none of them are effective against Ganoderma basal … Read more

Geospatial technology of global positioning system (GPS), remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) is widely used in mapping. Geospatial data as remotely sensed imagery and other raster formats are increasingly collected in fi ner resolution. Interpreting and visualizing information from the data has become an essential element in natural resources management, environmental planning … Read more

Down-regulating genes is one way to generate transgenic plants in genetic engineering. Knocking out a gene by antisense technology has been applied to modify the oil palm fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, but it is not the most effi cient approach. Recently, the discovery in plants of RNA interference (RNAi) mediated by sequence-specifi c degradation of … Read more