By: Wan Zaki Wan Mamat and Ahmad Tarmizi Sapii, Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

Changing trends in healthcare linked to the growing reliance on neutraceuticals means that there will be greater interest in natural products with therapeutic qualities and this is good news to Malaysia. Our rich biodiversity will open many doors for us to become a significant world player.

In 1993, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 80% of the global population rely on natural or traditional medicine for healthcare and maintenance and this trend will remain as there is increasing awareness of the various health maintenance benefits of traditional, complementary and alternative healthcare practices.

By: YB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Alfred Jabu Numpang, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture Modernisation and Minister of Rural Development, Sarawak

Food and nutrition security has come under the limelight in this modern era. Food security

is directly or indirectly affected by adverse climate changes, land degradation, declining soil fertility, pollution with pesticides and chemical fertilizers and depletion of mining or natural fertilizers.

Since the food crisis in 2008, safe-guarding food security continues to be the world’s main agenda. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

projects that there is a need to increase global food production by 70% by the year 2050 to fulfill food demand. FAO reported that over 860 million people in the world are suffering from severe food insecurity and chronic malnutrition and about 95% of them are in developing countries.

Thus, it is very important to conserve agrobiodiversity with sustainable utilisation of natural resources for food security. The agroen-vironment must also be wisely managed because it is strongly interrelated with agrobiodiversity.

Due to climate change, several agricultural factors such as yields, cultivation areas and value of crops are affected, which influences the sus-tainability of agriculture. At the same time, agriculture needs to confront the

effects of climate change, increasing competition for water, loss of productive land and competition for available land, continued migration from rural to urban areas and the growing social concerns about the nature of the food production system.

Therefore, meeting the needs of this increasing population, overcoming shortfalls in food production and ensuring that available produce reaches people in need, are now the major challenges to global agriculture.

In order to pursue the global challenges in food security, focus must be given to promote appropriate use of innovative technologies and policies that would result in sustainable production practices.

Concomitantly, the Green Economy Initiative (GEI) which was put forward

in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro to address the food security and sustainable agriculture issues is a very important programme to be implemented.

In a green economy, growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emission and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Malaysia has taken a proactive step through the Bioeconomy Development Initiative and RM85 million has been given to strengthen the biotechnology industry. The allocation was announced in a Biotechnology International Advisory Panel (BI-AP) meeting in San Francisco in October 2013.

Agrobiodiversity Is Vital For Our Nation’s Security

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9 772289 651006

ISSN 2289-6511

Omega Feed From Fungi

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A New Idea In Landscape Design: Multispecies Planting

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Ceri Terengganu, The Future Antioxidant Superstar

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MARDI Essential Oil Technology Incubator, Kuala Linggi

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More on page 8

Malaysian Herbal Industry

Scenario

The Importance Of Agrobiodiversity While Pursuing Agroenvironment Goals

MARDI would like to congratulate the new Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek. MARDI welcomes the Minister’s idea to adopt the information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the methods to further develop the country’s agriculture.

“We would adopt the information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the methods to further develop the country’s agriculture industry”

- Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek - 29/7/2015

Congratulations

Trade in natural products reached RM777billion in 2006 and it is

expected to triple by 2020.

Sept 2015Vol: 006

National Gene Bank: Custodian for Malaysian Heritage

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EDITORIAL

Until today, the agriculture sector continues to be relevant and has been earmarked as the third engine of growth for the country. In 2011, the National Agrofood Policy was launched, aiming to transform the current agrofood industry into a more modern, dynamic, competitive and sustainable industry. The collective objectives of this policy were to ensure food security and food safety and to produce high-income agropreneurs.

Under this policy, emphases were given to increase agricultural production, ensure food security, explore high-value agriculture, strengthen R&D sector and the supply chain, implement sustainable agriculture, and increase active partici-pation of private and government sectors in human capital development.

This policy also supports the national development agenda and policies of our government including the New Economic Model (NEB), the Government Trans-formation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to enable Malaysia to emerge as a developed nation by 2020.

Agrobiodiversity Ensures Food Security

Presently, food security is supported by only 82 types of food crops to cater the needs of 8 billion people in the world. Clearly, agrobiodiversity plays a major role in handling the issue of food security. It is reported that there are 12,680 species of plants which could be potentially explored and developed as food crops. On the other hand, there are still a lot more wild and underutilised species being neglected without being promoted and utilised.

Research on underutilised species as alternative food crops is still in its

infancy or at a preliminary stage, albeit the high potential to be developed. As for example, our country is very rich in different varieties of tuberous crops with high content of carbohydrate, such as the cassava and yam that can be alternatives to rice.

Apart from managing the issue of food security, diversity of genetic resources can generate additional income and increase livelihood of our local people. For example in Sarawak, the Bario rice has been given recognition through the Geographical Indication (GI) protection under the Malaysian Intellectual Property Rights Act. Bario rice cultivation outside this area is prohibited and is against the law. This GI protection not only conserves the authenticity and quality of Bario rice, but at the same time gives additional income to our farmers by protecting and promoting their traditional cultures.

There are many other rice varieties in Sarawak that are still not being explored for their potential such as Biris and Bajong that can provide opportunity for additional income to our farmers through social, economical and ecological support. At the same time, this can conserve the environment and increase community endurance.

While there is scope for increasing global food production, future approaches and technologies must be sustainable, with public goods provided by natural ecosystems such as water and carbon storage. The agroecosystem has to be looked into and protected in order to be productive in a sustainable and competitive way and be accepted globally.

Agriculture development, agrobio-diversity conservation and sustainable agroecosystem are sometimes perceived as opposing interests. But, in many cases, such conflict do not

exist and certainly not inevitable. In fact, evidence shows that integrating biodiversity and agriculture is beneficial for food production, ecosystem health and economically and ecologically sustainable growth.

Agroecosystem and agrobiodiversity are symbiotic to each other. Sustaining agroecosystem means sustaining our agrobiodiversity. Rich genetic materials in a good quality agroecosystem have a great untapped potential to support smallholders and rural communities by improving their incomes and food and nutritional security while also sustaining the genetic resources needed to address present and future environ-mental challenges.

Restructuring the way that ecosystems are managed, to account for their existence beyond national and international boundaries, is crucial. If successful, this will put Malaysia in a much better position to develop an equitable economy embedded within sustainable social and ecological systems.

Success in developing sustainable agroecosystem management for rapid and high impact development must be coupled with technical inquisitiveness and research capability. There must be a constant exchange of information between local agencies and collaborative work should be encouraged for benefits of agriculture.

Close contacts with international bodies and research agencies should be enhanced to achieve the objectives faster and assure that safe and quality food will always be available. Subsequently along the way, we have to tread well and be ahead of our developed counterpart in moving towards this goal by discerning in every positive way to be like other developed countries.

• Fromfrontpage

The Importance Of Agrobiodiversity While Pursuing Agroenvironment Goals

By: Dato’ Dr. Sharif Haron Director General, MARDI

Biodiversity refers to every single life entity surrounding us, from the tiny single cell microbes to organisms

as big as the elephants or whales. Agro-biodiversity is a sub-set of biodiversity. It is one of the most valuable features for our nation’s well-being. It is the fundamental feature of farming systems that encompasses many types of biological resources tied to agriculture, including genetics, edible plants and crops, livestock, soil organisms, arthropods and agro-eco-system components. Its interaction with the surrounding environment results in various ecosystems services that benefit the nation. It provides farmers with

various options to produce and manage crops, land, water, insects and biota in a sustainable manner.

Consequently, agrobiodiversity plays an important role in providing our nation’s well-being. It has formed the basis for our nation’s food security systems (quality, quantity and availability). It is also a source of new agricultural commodities for the nation’s wealth. In addition, it also provides options to cope with unpredictable climate change scenarios. In short, agrobiodi-versity is a strategic asset to our nation’s development.

There are about 30,000 edible plant species worldwide, many of them still not exploited. In Malaysia, about 12,500 plant species are available. Malaysia has great potential to introduce a diverse range of food because the abundance in agrobiodiversity supports a nutritious and sustainable diet with less environmental impact as it leads farmers to plant many crop species in one area. This situation might slowly shift from conventional to ecological farming system and increase resilience to local and global food stock.

Unfortunately, agrobiodiver-sity is currently threatened by human activities in various forms. The process of urbanisation, unsustainable agricultural development and excessive logging activities are inevitable factors that lead to the gradual loss of traditional varieties, pollinators and beneficial microbes. The destruction of agrobiodiversity can undermine the well-being of our nation since the development of new crops and

increase in productivity relies substan-tially on it.

With world population increasing trend, we need to explore agrobiodiversity in a sustainable manner for searching new sources of food. The demand for food with good taste and nutritional value also increases. As an example, when MARDI started research on rice, the main agenda was to obtain high yielding varieties with resistance to pest and diseases. With improvement in living standards, Malaysians demand good quality rice which has long grain, good fragrance and softer texture. The improvement in living standards influences the people’s preference, thus the rice variety with Basmathi quality becomes the choice. In line with this trend, the research moves on to focus on production of rice with Basmathi-like characteristics.

The explorations of rice genetics from the agrobiodiversity resources managed to find rice varieties with resistant traits to drought. Through various selection processes, MARDI successfully introduced aerobic rice which needs less water and minimised production of green house gases. This variety contributes to climate change as well as reduces demand on water availability which currently is the main global issue.

The success story of MARDI in producing several varieties of rice as well as other horticultural crops is a remarkable example on how important agrobiodiversity is. The success is not only to feed the public but also in generating more income for the nation. Likewise, as

the demand of society switched to safer natural organic products, bioprospec-tion of agrobiodiversity resources to suit this objective becomes more attractive. Indirectly, agrobiodiversity also created opportunities in diversification of businesses and improved social life of the farming community.

Thus, to secure our nation in a sustainable manner, agrobiodiversity must be managed properly. It is very sensitive and can be easily destroyed if not properly conserved. With current rapid development, potential of losing our agrobiodiversity is enormous. Likewise, liberation of world trade and global movement of commodities and people in this century may result in agrobiodiver-sity stress due to introduction of exotic and invasive species that will become a key factor that threatens our agrobiodi-versity. Therefore, MARDI established the national gene bank to conserve it. Research activities to explore and utilise these treasures in a sustainable manner are also enhanced. In the tenth Malaysian Plan, more than RM10 million was allocated to conduct these activities. In addition, efforts to educate the public and consumers to increase their awareness on sustainable agrobiodiversity management are also undertaken. MARDI as a leading agricultural research agency in the country, fully understands that our nation is provided with plenty of valuable resources that need to be managed in a sustainable manner.

Agrobiodiversity Is Vital For Our Nation’s Security

Advisor• Dato’Dr.SharifHaron

(Director General MARDI)

MARDIEditorialTeam• Dr.MohamadRoffMohdNoor

• Dr.AinuHusnaMSSuhaimi

• RohaniMdYon

• MaheswaryVellupillai

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VIEWPOINT2 Sept2015

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Naturalistic Planting Design: A New Concept in Urban Landscape

By: Dr. Zulhazmi Sayuti, Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

Naturalistic planting is a concept based on the idea of using natural features and the suitability of

species to grow in a given environment. It is about creating or replicating the appearance of natural landscape and forms the basis of combining the natural forms and wild characteristics of a particular species with the creativity of landscape design.

Ecological consideration is one of the corner stones of natural planting design process and starts with the selection of plants that are suitable and maybe naturally occurring in the location.

Choosing a suitable species for a particular environment is not easy. It requires a deep understanding of the original environment of the species, how they grow naturally and how they can be transplanted in the new location in combination with the other selected species.

Changing perceptions of nature have influenced landscape profession-als to develop urban landscapes using naturalistic ecological design.

There is increasing interest in naturalistic planting design among designers, as evidenced by the construction of major new parks such as the Olympic Park in London.

Public reception to this type of planting is still uncertain, however, it seems that strong use of colours can cultivate growing support for the approach.

Planting based on ecological concepts using species well fitted to the local environment to create semi-natural vegetation can reduce management costs and create an attractive urban landscape.

To achieve a strong aesthetic impact over a long season, a combination of native and exotic species is often needed, particularly in countries with a very small native flora.

The combination of species must fulfill both the aesthetic and functional needs of a landscape.

The colour of the flowers and the

texture of the leaves and inflorescences in total are important ingredients. For these species to co-exist at low maintenance, and yet still produce dramatic flowering displays, control of initial plant density is important as well as understanding of species growth requirements, their adaptability and phenology.

Climate change is increasingly having an impact on these ideas. If implemented on a very large scale, naturalistic planting can make some contribution to reducing the CO2

emissions behind global warming. Rapid development in the last 30 years

and global warming has encouraged the planning and development of new urban landscape areas to focus towards nature in cities. Landscape development with the concept of naturalistic style has increased and become popular across Europe.

The urban revolution in the 19th century and the explosive growth of urban areas in the 20th century have created an increase of alienation between people and the natural world.

A new perception of nature has become apparent and the creation of more natural landscapes in urban areas has increased as a way of providing support for the process that supports the natural environment.

The idea of naturalistic designed landscapes was originally conceptual-ised in the UK in the 18th century with the English Landscape Garden and was further developed in the 19th century on a smaller and more urban scale as the “Wild Garden”.

This concept has spread throughout northern Europe and North America, although it is interpreted very differently in different countries.

In Malaysia, the approach in planting design is more on natural looks, but does not emphasize on ecological aspects. Promoting the naturalistic planting design in Malaysian urban landscape, especially using both native and non-native annual and perennial flowering species, will create a beneficial ecosystem in the urban landscape with low input cost of maintenance.

The colourful South African montane grassland species in naturalistic planting design attracted the public in London Olympic Park in July 2012.

By: Nor Fadilah Abdul Halim, Crop Science and Soil Management Research Centre, MARDI, Dr. Tan Chon Seng, Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

Many people know that fish oil is a key source of omega-3 essential fatty acids but there is little information about other, more economical

sources of this important building block for human health.

Many people have the misconception that ocean fish can produce omega fatty acids, but the truth is that ocean fish get their high omega fatty acids content through eating plankton that produce omega fatty acids. The original sources of omega fatty acids are actually plankton, algae, fungi and seeds of certain plants.

Omega-3 fatty acids belong to a group of three fatty acids called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Fish, plant and nut oils are the primary dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

The two crucial ones, EPA and DHA, which provide the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids, are primarily found in certain cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring.

Fish oil contains omega-3s that are distinct from the flax-type omega-3s. The fatty acid molecules are longer and more bent. They keep the membranes of cells from becoming too stiff when exposed to frigid conditions.

DHA can also be found in microalgae such as Crypthecodinium cohnii which can be cultivated on the farm. This algae contains a large amount of DHA which is an essential fatty acid needed for brain growth and function. This fatty acid is so important to brain health that the manufacturers of baby formula are now adding DHA to their formulas. Algae-derived DHA has also been approved for many applications including fruit juices, milk, soy milk, cooking oil, sauces and tortillas.

ALA is mainly found in plants and seeds of certain plants such as flax, canola, soybeans, pumpkin, purslane, perilla and walnut. ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is partially converted into DHA and EPA in the body.

MARDI is currently conducting research on the possibility of using fungi to produce omega fatty acids

and incorporating them into animal feed. A fungal fermentation technology is being developed to produce materials that contain omega fatty acids which are suitable as animal feed.

The project aims to get fungi like Mortierella to produce omega fatty acids for livestock feed and subsequently transmitted to humans through diet. The Mortierella species can produce 50% oil by dry weight, which is an impressive amount of oil when compared to other sources.

From the oil, about 2-5% are omega fatty acids including arachidonic fatty acid (AA, 20:4) which is required for livestock and human growth. The

fungi-based omega fatty acid source is an example of green or sustainable technology that offers signifi-cantly lower production cost compared to algae and fish (see table above). The lower cost makes it more attractive for feed millers and this may help improve their business potential as well.

Omega feed that contains high amounts of essential fatty acids such as DHA, EPA and AA are highly recommended for nutritional diets for broodstock and larvae as it improves larval rearing, hatchery rate, growth rate, quality of spawning and increases essential fatty acids content in fish meat.

Omega Feed From FungiComparison of production cost of omega fatty acids from fatty fish, microalgae and fungi

SOURCE COSTYIELD (from 1kg)

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Fatty fish RM10 for 1 kg sardine

17.6 ml oil Contains DHA & EPAContamination with heavy metals

Microalgae (Crypthecodinium cohnii)

RM45 for 1 kg algae

12.7 ml oil Contains DHAHigh cost productionComplex process of extraction of Omega-3 fatty acids

OMEGA feed from fungi(Mortierella species)

RM2.50 for 1 kg substrate

350 ml oil + 500 g fermented substrate

Contains DHA & EPALower production costSimple procedureHigh yield of Omega-3 fatty acids

TECHNOLOGY3Sept2015

By: Mohd Irwani Hafiz Sahid, Norizah Md Ayob & Mohd Zin Din, Food Science and Technology Research Centre, MARDI

Cincau, a type of jelly usually referred to as grass jelly, is made from vegetable extracts. It has antipyretic characteristics

(cooling properties). It is also low in fat, has high fibre content and rich in vitamins A and D and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

The Chinese discovered and developed the methods for processing and producing cincau. In fact, the word cincau came from the Mandarin ‘xian cao’ which means ‘fairy herb’.

The cincau making process begins with cleaning and soaking of the herbal plants. The leaves and branches are soaked together with ash and then boiled to obtain the cincau extract which is mixed with sweet potato flour to produce the jelly-like texture. The processed cincau is typically cut into cubes and packed into plastic bags or polyethylene containers for the market.

The cincau herbs are produced from farms in China and among the main suppliers to Malaysia is the Zengcheng farm which covers an area of 9,260 acres producing about 3,000 tonnes of cincau per year.

By: Dr. Indu Bala Jaganath, Research Specialist, MARDI, Serdang

Most of us are unaware that our gardens are harbouring little “gems” with considerable

healing powers. Dukung anak is God’s gift to mankind for its exceptional healing powers.

This plant has long been considered a common garden weed that can be seen growing wildly not only in our backyard, but also in abandoned grasslands, along the cracks of drains and roadsides.

This miraculous plant is known as the “stone breaker” by the Amazon people and has been used for generations by the indigenous people as an effective remedy to eliminate gallstone and kidney stones.

In Malaysia, it is traditionally used for kidney problems, diarrhea, gonorrhea and syphilis. The pounded leaves and stems are used as poultices for skin complaints including caterpillar itch.

In India and Ceylon, the whole plant is ground to a paste and mixed with cow’s or goat’s milk for treatment of jaundice.

The most pronounced feature of this plant is that it harbours small flowers and fruits on stalks that are attached to the bottom of the leaves as denoted by its name.

In Malaysia, we are able to distinguish four species of Dukung anak, namely, P. watsonii, P. amarus, P. niruri and P. urinaria. These herbs look very similar, but on careful examination, they are very different especially if botanical and chemical characterisation are carried out.

Due to their different chemical compositions and therefore different efficacies, it is important that the identity of each of these herbs be first authenticat-ed. This is to avoid any adverse events after administration of misidentified herbs.

The vast traditional use of Dukung anak has triggered deep interest among the scientific community to comprehensively dissect and solve the healing mysteries of this plant. Dukung anak gained world attention in the late 1980’s due to extensive

scientific evidence of the herb’s antiviral activity against Hepatitis B.

With the advent of science and technology, especially in areas of biotech-nology many more scientific discoveries of Dukung anak have been found for its varied health benefits. Multiple discoveries at Biotechnology Research Centre, MARDI, placed Dukung anak in the forefront of herbal medicine and is being projected as one of the most potent herbs in Malaysia.

Among the first and main attempt made at MARDI was to solve the most significant problem facing the herbal

industry in Malaysia, that is on insufficient evidences of efficacy, standardisation and inconsistent production practices. These in turn have placed considerable constraints on the local herbal industry’s expansion and penetration into the international market.

Inconsistent production of phytonutri-ents in Dukung anak is due to a variety of factors such as the genetic variability, environment, the time of harvest, level of maturity, the type of soil in which it is

grown and processing techniques. There is therefore, a great need to

standardise Dukung anak based on specific phytonutrients that are responsible for its efficacy. A simple but very effective method was developed to not only consistently produce phytochemicals but also to enhance its production, thus making the standardisation process very effective.

This was made possible by exposing the Dukung anak plants to water stress and a specific dosage of UVB light supplemented with standardised cultural management. By comparing all four species of Dukung

anak, P. watsonii has been identified as the most superior species.

This is not only due to its higher biomass production but also due to the significantly higher accumulation of the important chemical markers. Phyllanthus watsonii accumulates 2-3 folds higher amount of very valuable phenols and polyphenol compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acid and ellagitannin. These phy-tonutrients were identified as geraniin, corilagin, rutin and gallic acid.

Phyllanthus standardised extract produced by MARDI is highly efficacious and exhibited multi-targeted therapeutic properties against viral infection (dengue), cancer and also has cholesterol lowering properties.

To date, one of the leading industrial players in the local market for Phyllanthus is producing capsules for liver protection. The company is utilising P. niruri and its standardised extract contains 4% corilagin and 18% flavonoids.

However, the formulation derived from MARDI’s technology contains 20% geraniin (which is a precursor of corilagin and more superior in terms of its bioactivity). Geraniin is the main bioactive compound that exhibits anti-cholesterol and anti-viral activities. This technology (standardised extract of Phyllanthus with anti-cholesterol and anti-viral activity) has been licensed to Furley Bioextracts Sdn. Bhd. in June 2014.

By unrevelling the medical mysteries of Dukung anak, it is clear that God has provided mankind with great natural wealth which is literally at our doorstep.

Cincau hitam

Cincau hitam is the most common form found in the market and it is produced from the extracts of the Mesona chinensis plant. This herb is planted as a secondary crop in fruit farms found on the slopes of South-East China and Taiwan.

Typically, this plant reaches a height of about one metre and has bristle-covered trunk.

The dried leaves and branches of Mesona chinensis can be found in Chinese herbal shops and priced at RM20-25 per kg.

Cincau hitam can also be prepared using extracts of Mesona pelustris and Mesona procumblens.

Cincau rambat

Cincau rambat is processed from the extract of Cyclea barbata that contains silken alkaloids, tetradyna, polyphenol, saponinoid and flavonoids.

Silken alkaloid is believed to have the ability to reduce body temperature during a fever. The colour of this jelly is green and the texture is more dense than Cincau hitam.

Cyclea barbata is a creeping vine with soft rod-shaped stem which has a dark green colour with rough and thorny skin.

The leaves are dark green, shaped like a shield and covered with fine bristles. The flowers are yellow and the fruits are red and shaped like kidney beans.

This plant is found in India, Indo-China and South East Asia. It is widely found as wild shrubs on the edge of jungles.

Cincau perdu

Cincau perdu produces more extract than cincau rambat and it is more suitable for commer-cialisation. This cincau is produced from extracts of the plant Premna oblongifolia that is also known as the camcau plant in Indonesia.

The leaves have very high chlorophyl content (1,709 ppm) and this gives it the ability to restrict the formation of cholesterol in the blood.

Currently, the plant is processed and sold in powder form and used to produce instant cincau.

This species has a hard trunk that grows to a height of between two and five metres.

It has dark green, thick, oval-shaped leaves with smooth waxy surfaces.

Cincau: Our Favourite ‘Fairy Herb’

Dukung Anak, The Little “Gems” Growing In Our Backyard

Phyllanthus urinariaPhyllanthus amarusPhyllanthus watsonii Phyllanthus niruri

TECHNOLOGY4 Sept2015

By: Dr. Tosiah Sadi, Agrobiodiversity and Environment Research Centre, MARDI

Weeds have tremendous negative impact, especially in cultivation areas. In rice cultivation areas, hand weeding

is difficult due to morphological similarities between rice and seedling stage of sambau (Echinochloa crus-galli).

The use of rotary weeder also has limitations, as it only controls the above ground parts of the weeds and the stump will regrow after some time.

Herbicide is the most widely used weed control method. Some are selective and control certain group of weeds while others are broad spectrum which can kill a variety of weeds and also cause toxicity to the crops.

However, there are negative impacts of herbicides to the environment such as con-tamination of surface and ground water, toxic residue in agricultural products, development of resistance towards herbicide and reduction in soil fertility as microbes involved in recycling nutrients are affected.

MARDI introduced the green technology to produce economically rewarding crop yields while maximising regional and global environ-mental sustainability.

Exserohilum monoceras, a fungus from the Helmithosporales group was discovered while exploring the control for sambau in rice fields. This fungus has characteristics of a good biological agent, i.e. stable in culture, able to sporulate abundantly in culture, host specific (safe to modern rice varieties) and tolerant to temperatures up to 35OC.

The fungus performs best when applied to newly germinated sambau but can also provide

significant control of the weed at their 4-6 leaves physiological age.

In order to achieve good infection rate and significant control of the weed, 106 -107 spores/ml or 4-5 g should be mixed with 12 litres or 3 gallons of water to reduce sambau by about 50%.

Integrated weed management relies on non-chemical measures to keep weed populations low, selecting and applying herbicide, when necessary, in a way that minimises adverse effects on beneficial organisms, humans and the environment.

Several methods can be used to keep the weeds below economically damaging level, and this includes:

• Ecological methods using fertilizer management

• Physical methods using appropriete seedbed tillage and seeding

• Biological methods using organisms such as pathogens, insects, plant and herbivores

• Chemical methods or herbicides used as supplementary methods when necessary

Biological methods are currently in limited use worldwide. Inconsistent infections in fields are among the problems that hindered the biological control of weeds from being accepted by farmers.

Shelf life, mass production techniques, formulation and application techniques are the most critical issues that need to be resolved prior to introduction of the bioherbicides to farmers.

It is important to improve crop production with more environmental friendly approaches. Hence, MARDI is exploring more economical approaches to develop new bioherbicides for integrated weed management.

Sambau infected rice field

Exserohilum monoceras

ACHIEVEMENT5Sept2015

A NEW IDEA IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN: MULTISPECIES PLANTING

By: Dr. Hanim Ahmad, Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

Annual flowers are popular ornamental plants used in landscaping to obtain a variety of colours, creating a more vibrant look and lightening up the landscape area. The plants are cultivated and raised in the nursery until

they produce flower buds and bloom before being used as landscape components. Normally, the plants transferred to landscape areas have a short lifespan of

about 1-1½ months before being replaced with new batches of different or same species.

However, from the perspective of landscape management, the current practice of planting annual flowers is considered unsustainable, requires high maintenance and high production costs. Therefore, it is timely to explore the idea of using annual flowers in multispecies planting, a practice that is well established in developed countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany.

These temperate countries which go through the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, came up with the idea of multiple species planting based on ‘ecological approach’ through urban landscape research and development.

In these countries, the combination of different types of ornamental plants produced an interesting sight, is seen as natural and has become the focus of the public, especially landscape lovers.

Nowadays, this multispecies planting has become successful and is accepted by many parties including landscape designers, horticulturists, landscape managers and the public who love the art of landscape and natural scenery.

In Malaysia, the usage of annual flowers multispecies planting is considered as a new approach in landscape design and has not been fully explored. To make multispecies planting a reality in this country, a series of research and development is being carried out by MARDI.

It was found that several annual flower species are suitable to create a community of multispecies planting which produces colourful flowers and dynamic impacts. Amongst the species of annual flowers which can be used are Celosia, Cosmos, Gomphrena, Impatiens, Pennisetium, Tagetes, Tithonia and Zinnia.

The multispecies plant community approach comes with various advantages. Amongst them are producing a new plant community, improving the aesthetical value, conserving biodiversity, less maintenance and more sustainable.

Mixing seeds of selected annual flowers in multispecies will create a more sustainable plant community in the landscape areas. The creation process is also environmental friendly, particularly in the planting stage, without the use of plastic pots or polybags. There is also no nursery infrastructure required and has lower transportation cost compared to current practice.

The multispecies plant community developed has a longer flowering period, up to 4-6 months. The flowering and structural plant form has a more natural impact, is attractive and has a more dynamic pattern.

The dynamic change of multispecies plant community causes the landscape areas to give a positive impact to visitors with their vibrant and colourful flowers, giving visitors a unique experience in witnessing multispecies plant community.

In terms of biodiversity, mixed planting of annual flowers can conserve plant species and prevent extinction. It also provides more plant biodiversity per unit area, up to 50 plants/m2. This wide range of biodiversity becomes a suitable place in attracting fauna such as butterflies, fireflies and beneficial insects.

Mixed planting helps in reducing activities in landscape maintenance such as controlling weed growth and replanting process. Weed growth can be suppressed by planting plants of different heights in one community.

The usage of Tagetes spp. that acts as an insect repellent helps in reducing pests in the multispecies community. A multispecies plant community can continue its lifecycle through self sowing causing the community to have a longer lifespan.

flowers which can be used for multispecies planting

Celosia

Zinnia

FOCUS6 Sept2015

Image © Copyright : Floria Sdn. Bhd.

Cosmos

Gomphrena

Impatiens

Pennisetium

Tagetes

Tithonia

FOCUS7Sept2015

Developing nations such as China, India, Sri Lanka and Africa have officially recognised traditional medicine and healthcare for their people while developed nations such as the United States, European Union, Canada and Japan have more than half of the population showing inclination towards traditional medicine.

This situation indicates great promise that the majority of the world population will continue to accept herbs and medicinal plants as an option to conventional medicine.

Malaysians are also familiar with the use of herbs in health maintenance and healthcare. Particular attention is given to the local herbal industry in the National Economic Transformation Programme (NETP) through the Entry Point Project 1 (EPP1) – Unlocking values from Malaysia’s biodiversity through high value herbal products. This is done under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) in the agriculture sub-sector.

Parallel to this effort, complemen-tary and alternative medicine units were established in five government hospitals. This is a positive step towards supporting traditonal, complementary and alternative medicines that can become the catalyst for the national herbal industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry is responsible for implementing the EPP1 while other agencies, department and institutions that support the initiative are the Department of Agriculture, MARDI, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional.

The EPP1 has a budget of RM533 million and this covers grants for supporting upstream research and pre-commercialisation activities such as pre-clinical trials, clinical trials and product development.

An additional budget of RM69 million is needed for upgrading facilities and investments in herbal parks. Private investments in herbal parks and extraction facilities are expected to be RM237 million and this brings the total financial committment under EPP1 to RM839 million.

The aim of EPP1 is to generate RM2.2 billion of high value products by 2020 from five key herbs, namely, tongkat ali, kacip fatimah, misai kucing, hempedu bumi and dukung anak. This initial project is expected to generate 1,800 new jobs and 300 manufacturers are expected to improve their capabilities from packaging and trading to high value innovative formulations.

Fundamental issues in the national herbal industry

The issues in the national herbal industry can be divided into four main categories:

• Production of raw material,• Post-harvest handling and

primary processing,• Institutional support and • Marketing.

Inconsistent supply of local raw materials which are more expensive than imported herbs is the biggest issue when talking about supply of raw materials.

Lack of emphasis on conservation and research and development of herbs compared to other commodities has slowed down the pace of commercialisa-tion in the industry.

The industry needs strong support from the relevant agencies, departments and institutions in order to succeed while a strong marketing system and network can spur the industry to the next level.

Efforts to strengthen the national herbal industry

The Malaysian herbal industry is expected to grow inline with the increased consumer awareness of traditional and alternative medicine.

The Government’s EPP1 within the NKEA initiative under the agriculture subsector and the establishment of the National Herbal Council as well as the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Units at public hospitals will further spur the industry and become important catalysts for development.

When critical issues facing the herbal industry is resolved, it will continue to grow and contribute positively to the social and economic development of the nation.

Malaysian Herbal Industry Scenario• Fromfrontpage

By: Muhammad Syahren Adzahar, Crop Science and Soil Management Research Centre, MARDI

Nitrohumic acids (NHA) are used to develop specialty crop booster fertilizers and also as an ingredient to develop a unique class of compound

fertilizers with slow release nutrient characteristics. NHA is a bio-chemically active macromolecule

having high molecular weight similar to humic acids (HA) which are used extensively as chelating agents in formulating liquid fertilizers and as a soil conditioner.

It is well known for its role in improvement of soil fertility, increasing plant nutrient uptake, stimulating soil biological activities and enhancing soil water holding capacity.

HA from lignite coals, known as NHA, helps to enhance enzymatic activities which improve the pho-tosynthetic efficiency of the foliage. This is subsequently translated into increased yield.

Malaysia does not produce HA or NHA commercially. NHA extracted from locally available low quality coals such as sub-bituminous and lignite coals is meant to replace the expensive imported HA for use in manufacturing fertilizer products.

To produce maximum yield of NHA ( ~ 80%), the extraction parameters such as strength of extraction agents (potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and sodium pyrophosphate), sample to extractant ratio, material grain size, temperature, time (duration), frequency of extraction, drying methods (freeze drying, ambient temperature drying under desiccators and

oven drying), mixing ratio, grain size and recycling of extraction acid were optimised.

With such high yield of NHA, potential commercial use of Sarawak coals, which has not been exploited due to its low calorific value and high moisture content for NHA production, may be possible.

Infra-red spectral (FTIR) analysis showed that NHA had similar functional groups as HA. It is dark black in colour and can either be in liquid or solid form. In the monovalent humate form, it is soluble in water.

The NHA has high chemical activity with cation exchange capacity (CEC) in the order of 80-90 cmol

(+) kg-1. It contains many functional groups such as carbonyl (C=O), hydroxyl (R -OH), phenolic (Ar -OH), nitro (-NO2) and nitroso (-NO).

The extraction processes of NHA from coals developed at laboratory scale were subsequently replicated in a pilot plant jointly with CCM Fertilizers (M) Sdn. Bhd. to commercialise the products. The fertilizer market is estimated to be about RM4 billion a year out of which the import of foliar fertilizers and allied fertilizer products is estimated to be RM150 million a year.

This can be partially replaced by local NHA-based fertilizer products. Gromax Padi (NHA-based foliar formulation) designed specifically for enhancing paddy grain yield increased the percentage of grain filling from the current 60-65% to over 70%.

A 10% increase in grain filling from a base yield of 6t/ha will be translated into an approximate increase of 1 t/ha of grain yield. Gromax formulations for chillies and tomatoes are formulated to deliver very high dosage of water soluble critical nutrients which are rapidly absorbed during fruit development stage.

An experiment to evaluate their effect on chilli and tomato fruit yield under fertigation condition, showed that foliar application once every 20 days increased fruit yield by 0.4-0.5 kg per plant.

The proprietary of NHA compound fertilizers produced an effect on reduced rates of controlled release fertilizers which resulted in a decrease in loss of major nutrients due to ammonia volatilisation (40% NH3) and leaching (27% N, 5% P, 9% Ca and 7% Mg). This would help the grower to have more input saved on fertilizer costs and go towards an environmental friendly fertilizer approach.

Sarawak coals show promise for local NHA Fertilizer productsNitrohumic Acids (NHA) From Low Calorific Coal For Crop Booster Fertilizers

COMMERCIALISATION8 Sept2015

By: Musa Yaacob, MARDI Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Mas cotek (Ficus deltoidea) is an epiphyte found growing mainly on the branches of higher plants.

It is traditionally used for postpartum treatment and for the treatment of gout, pneumonia, diabetes and hypertension. The species is also locally known as serapat, sempit-sempit, agoluran, ara burung, ara jelatih and ara tanah. It is known as mistletoe fig in English and tabat barito in Indonesia.

Mas cotek is fast gaining popularity among herbal practitioners in Malaysia and Indonesia and with demand rising, there is a need for better domestication and commercial production of the herb. Presently, the raw materials used in the manufacturing of commercial products

are collected from the forests. If

collection and harvesting from the wild are not checked, this important plant species may become extinct.

The technology to domesticate mas cotek both under open and containerised planting systems and development of standardised, safe and effective extract of mas cotek will help in large scale production of the raw materials required by the herbal manufacturers.

This will ensure that the quantity and quality of the raw

materials meets the minimal requirements specified by

these herbal manufactur-ers.

The first step towards domestica-tion of the mas cotek species was to identify potential accessions followed by requirements

f o r p l a n t i n g medium, water and

other ag ronomic practices. Evaluations

on the incidence of pests and diseases were also conducted. Studies on its bioactive contents were also carried out so as to develop effective and safe standardised mas cotek products.

Numerous commercial products developed from mas cotek are available in the markets in a number of forms. Most of these products are dried leaves and marketed as herbal teas and ointments.

Production Technology

MARDI has successfully collected and identified 40 morphologically different accessions of mas cotek. For optimum growth, this species requires well-drained soils such as bris. The optimum monthly rainfall is 180-200 cm. For successful planting of mas cotek, the use of soil ameliorant and proper water management must be considered. Planting of mas cotek under 50% shade in the open field (monoculture) system produced twice the yield compared to unshaded plant.

The recommended bed size and pruning system practiced differ with accessions. For optimum growth, the recommended bed size is 1.5 m wide and 0.5 m high. The recommended planting distance is 1.2 m between plants within the row and 2.0 m between beds. This will produce a population of about 4,200 plants per hectare.

For sandy soils (containing more than 90% sand) such as bris, the use of ameliorating materials like rotted oil palm fruit bunch is essential. This will increase the moisture content in the planting area, decrease nutrient loss through leaching and thus increase nutrient intake by the plants.

Rotted oil palm fruit bunch should be applied at the rate of 5 - 7 kg/plant by incorporating it into the soil to a depth of 30 cm from the soil surface. For sandy soils like bris, two types of fertilizers are recommended, i.e. organic fertilizers such as chicken dung and inorganic fertilizers which have more complete nutrient content.

Organic fertilizers should be given as a basal dressing three days before planting and subsequently at six month intervals at a rate of 10t/ha. The inorganic fertilizer (N:P:K = 10:10:10) at a rate of 2 t/ha should

also be applied at six month intervals.Mas cotek can also be commercially

produced under containerised system using polybags. Some of these accessions (MFD 2, MFD 4, MFD 6 and MFD 9) have good growth and capable of producing more than 1,200 kg/ha dry yield at six months after planting. Harvesting can be done at three month intervals. Con-tainerised planting using nematode-free planting medium is the best alternative to domesticate this plant on bris sandy soil.

Mas cotek can be propagated either by seeds or cuttings. The use of cuttings from young growing shoots is easier, faster and produces better seedlings. Young shoot cuttings are ready for field transplanting after 7-8 weeks in the nursery. The use of shoot cuttings can ensure that the accessions produced are true to type to that of their mother plants.

Biochemical Studies

Biochemical studies of mas cotek showed that the leaves contain 0.04% moretenol. This compound has the potential to be used as a chemical marker or biomarker due to a significant amount of its presence in the leaves. An analytical method using GC-MS has been developed for analysing the moretenol content.

Results obtained also showed that the total polyphenol content of the leaves was higher in the upper parts of the plants compared to other plant positions.

This information will be helpful in developing the harvesting strategies for both the open and containerised planting of mas cotek.

Toxicological Studies

Toxicological studies of mas cotek tea on rats showed that the tea is safe for consumption. The liver and renal function tests conducted showed that the consumption of mas cotek herbal tea (even at 25 times higher then normal dose of human consumption) gave no significant effects on the organs studied.

By: Mirfat Ahmad Hasan Salahudin and Dr. Salma Idris, Agrobiodiversity and Environment Research Centre, MARDI

Underutilised fruits are important potential sources of nutrients, vitamins and other health

properties. Recognising the potential benefits of underutilised fruits, MARDI conducted a study to evaluate the antioxidant potential of more than 50 underutilised fruit species.

The fruits were collected from MARDI field genebanks and various locations in Malaysia. Among all the un-derutilised fruits tested, Ceri Terengganu {Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh} was identified as the most antioxidant-rich fruits compared to popular and commercial fruits such as guavas, oranges and apples.

Ceri Terengganu belongs to the Sapindaceae family and can be found in Indo China, Burma, Borneo, Java, Philippines, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda and Maluku.

In Malaysia, this species is widely distributed in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is found growing naturally

in the forests and only occasionally cultivated.

MARDI has taken the responsibility to conserve Ceri Terengganu fruit trees in MARDI field gene banks, along with many other underutilised fruit trees that were threatened by extinction. There were 14 Ceri Terengganu trees planted in Jalan Puchong gene bank and more than 60 plants are available in the Serdang gene bank.

Ceri Terengganu is a non-seasonal fruit tree and productive throughout the year. The fruits are arranged closely and attractively in a long big bunch. Its flesh is soft and tastes fairly sweet and bitter. When ripened, the fruit is shiny and dark red in colour.

Based on the ethnobotanical studies, Ceri Terengganu is usually consumed as food and also used in traditional medicine by rural folks. The seed is eaten roasted and the root is used in a compound poultice to relieve itching and to lower body temperature during fever.

Other scientific studies conducted jointly by National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) of Thailand and Shiseido, a leading cosmetic manufacturer of Japan, identified potential anti-aging and

slimming effects from L. fruticosa (Ceri Terengganu).

Looking at these remarkable potentials and its attractive name, Ceri Terengganu was selected as the icon of Kenyir Tropical Park (TTK) which is situated in Kenyir Lake, Terengganu, the largest man-made lake in South East Asia.

The tropical park was developed by MARDI in collaboration with Central Terengganu Development Authority (KETENGAH) as one of the tourist attractions in Kenyir Lake.

One of many strategies by MARDI to promote Ceri Terengganu among farmers, consumers and food manufacturers is by developing a healthy fruit drink.

The drink was tested for antioxidant capacity and the results compared very favourably to commercially available berry drinks in the market which are known to be powerful antioxidants.

Surprisingly, the drink from Ceri Terengganu showed stronger antioxidant potential than all the commercial drinks tested. This finding may provide a better understanding of the nutraceutical and functional potential of Ceri Terengganu which is important for the enhancement of the fruit species in the future.

Ceri Terengganu, The Future Antioxidant Superstar

Domestication Of Mas Cotek For Commercial Production

COMMERCIALISATION9Sept2015

National Gene Bank: Custodian for Malaysian HeritageBy: Dr. Mohd Shukri Mat Ali @ Ibrahim and Site Noorzuraini Abdul Rahman, Gene Bank and Seeds Centre, MARDI

There is a need for a National Gene Bank. It’s about fulfilling our Global responsibility while serving the National interest

Malaysia is one of the mega-diversity countries of the world and home to about 7% of the world’s known species. It is home to about 12,500 species of flowering plants, more than 3,000 species of medicinal plants, about

1,100 species of ferns or fern allies and more than 3,000 species of orchids. These plant genetic resources are important for future use especially for food

security (food sources in the future), medicinal use, landscaping, as well as for biological control of pests and diseases.

For conservation of these genetic resources, a National Gene Bank need to be established so that all the germplasm collection can be securely stored.

MARDIRiceGeneBank

The first gene bank that was established at MARDI was the rice gene bank. This gene bank was established in 1989 at MARDI Seberang Perai, with the main objectives of collecting local rice genetic resources in the genus Oryza and conserving the germplasm collections, ideally under secure storage conditions. It was jointly financed by MARDI and Bioversity International (formerly known as IPGRI).

Today, MARDI Rice Gene bank has conserved a total of 12,770 accessions of rice with more than 8,500 or 75% from locally cultivated accessions from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The remainder of the accessions were accessed and introduced from other rice growing countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, Pakistan, and also from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines.

There is a wide spectrum of germplasm conserved in the Rice Gene bank and they include:

• Unimproved landraces, • Pure line varieties, • Modern high yielding varieties (local and abroad), • Elite breeding lines from local breeding programmes and IRRI, • Special types (mutant and anther derived plants), and • Wild relatives.

The rice gene bank provides ideal storage conditions with short, medium and long term seed storage facilities:

Short term storage room

The room with 70 m3 of space, is a walk-in type which is suitable for short to medium term storage at 12-15°C and relative humidity, 40-45%. It is equipped with stationary galvanised steel shelving racks and wooden platform.

This room is used by researchers to keep seed materials of various crops with expected seed longevity in the range of 3-5 years, depending on crop species.

Medium term storage room

This storage area has two separate rooms with a total space of 71.3 m3 and can accommodate more than 13,000 accessions. The temperature is set at 3-4°C and relative humidity at 35-40%. Dried seeds are packed in aluminium foil packets and vacuum-sealed. The packets containing 180-200 g seeds per accession are stored in mobile trays on permanent shelving racks. Expected seed longevity is 15 years.

Long term storage

Dried seeds are vacuum-sealed in aluminium foil packets containing about 18-20 g of seeds and stored in deep freezers and scientific freezer cabinets. The temperature is set at -20°C. Expected seed longevity is 30 years.

In addition, the gene bank is also equipped with a drying chamber which is constructed in the adjacent building. The temperature is set at 25°C and relative humidity at 11%. This facility makes the drying procedure at the gene bank more efficient and cost effective.

Since the searching for new genes is a continuous process, it is necessary to enrich the germplasm with collections as diverse as possible. The rice gene bank which plays an important role for rice genetic resource conservation and effective utilisation for breeding programmes need to expand the rice collection activities including wild rice relatives to broaden the genetic pool from which the genes can be extracted.

Continuous and concerted effort in characterisation and evaluation of the conserved germplasm is also important to identify accessions with desirable and potential characteristics which may be used in future breeding programmes.

Rice varieties available in the genebank

Specialty rice released by MARDI available at the gene bank

SUCCESSSTORY10 Sept2015

By: Rais Khalil, Promotion and Business Development Centre, MARDI

MARDI technology incubators are pilot plants equipped with commercial-scale cutting edge

equipment. They are set up to nurture entrepreneurs who adopt innovative technologies to stay ahead of the competition curve.

Comprehensive exposure and hands-on training that lasts between 12 and 14 months helps the entrepreneurs to adapt to the potential technologies in improving productivity and output.

A technology incubator that specialises in distillation of essential oils and the development of essential oil products has been set up at MARDI Kuala Linggi, Melaka.

This essential oil pilot plant has the capacity of processing 1,000 kg of leaves per cycle. The pilot plant is equipped with 10 unfired pressure vessels (UPV), an electric crane, a steam generating boiler, a water pump and a condenser which forms part of the cooling system in the distillation process. The facilities also include a solar house for drying the herbs and aromatic plants.

The process begins with finely chopping the leaves and loading 100 kg into each of the 10 UPV. Steam is channelled into the vessels to extract the essential oils out of the leaf cells. The steam and oil then flow into the condenser where the cooling process allows the mixture of oil and water to

be collected into the waiting container.After the oil and water is separated,

the oil which contains the plant essence is packed into dark glass bottles for storage while the remaining fragrant water is suitable to be used as spa bath.

The distillation plant is capable of producing 16 litres of essential oils in three cycles every day. The oils produced are further distilled in a fractional distiller to produce various grades of pure essential oils.

The main focus of this incubator is to distill essential oils from aromatic plants such as citronella, lemongrass, patchouli, tea tree, lemon myrtle, cinnamon and kaffir lime which are grown within the factory farm. Gelam or Melaleuca cajaputi which grows well in the acidic sulphate soil of the farm is also distilled to produce useful essential oils.

The incubator is also equipped with bar soap making machines, liquid soap or shower gel processing machines, liquid filling machines as well as a complete packaging system.

This pilot plant complies with Good Manufacturing Practice requirements in terms of machinery specifications and overall factory layout. The incubator is also equipped with quality control facilities for testing and verification of product quality.

Waste from the factory is processed into silage or animal feed as well as compost as a way of reducing wastage and increasing the value of the technology package offered to the en-trepreneurs.

MARDI Essential Oil Technology Incubator, Kuala Linggi

Essential oil incubator in MARDI Kuala Linggi, Melaka

Entrepreneur is taught the technique of separating the oil and water

Distillation of leaves

NationalGenebank(MyGeneBank™)

A new complex named MyGeneBank™ was constructed at Serdang, Selangor to materialise the plan of having a National Gene bank which can store up to 200,000 accessions of seeds and five times more spacious than the rice genebank in Penang. This gene bank is registered with MyIPO for it to be renowned and formally recognised.

The aim of this new gene bank is to enhance research and development (R&D) activities in conservation and sustainable utilisation of agrobiodiversity resources.

This gene bank will act as a ‘one-stop centre’ for management of bioresources for food and agriculture, in order to strengthen food production and agricultural diversification. The gene bank is important for protection and storage of plant genetic materials as national heritage for future generations.

In establishing the national gene bank, a few issues and challenges need to be addressed. One of the critical issues is that the field gene banks (germplasms) are not gazetted, but these in situ conservations are strongly related to seed gene bank activities. This has caused the lost of some areas which have been taken for land development or undergone urbanisation.

Large amount of funding is also needed for maintenance of germplasms and seed gene banks. It is estimated that the cost could be up to RM4 million/year. Therefore, support in terms of human resource, expertise and funding from local government or international agencies are essential for the establishment of the national gene bank.

Apart from conservation of rice seeds, the seed gene bank has provided opportunities for more utilisation processes in the country between MARDI and other agencies on other crops such as vegetables, tropical fruits and underutilised fruits.

In 2014, the rice gene bank received more than 200 visitors and more than 400 rice accessions have been transferred to local and international agencies for research and development (R&D).

The process, which involves Standard Materials Transfer Agreement (SMTA), is one of the implementation activities of plant genetic resources utilisation under the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Interna-tional Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

• Frompage10

Products from essential oil

SUCCESSSTORY11Sept2015

MAEPS Agrotourism Park Carnival

By: NurAkmal Hassan, Corporate Communication, International and Quality Division, MARDI

The MAEPS Agrotourism Park Carnival was officially launched by the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on June 1, 2015.

The carnival, which lasted from May 30 to June 7, was one of the agrotourism programmes of MAEPS. The objective was to promote MAEPS as a one-stop centre for encouraging and promoting the growth and development of the national agrotourism industry through active participation of the private sector.

The MAEPS agrotourism programme offers three key attractions, the agriculture park, the states pavillions which consist of 13 unique pavillions that represent the states in Malaysia and agro-recreation which includes high energy activities such as equestrian, go-karting, water orbing, abseiling, paintballing, camping, team building and cycling.

The development of these tour packages were asssisted by Tourism Malaysia and involved inputs from travel agents and tour operators. They are also playing an active role in promoting and marketing the MAEPS agrotourism products and packages.

To kick off the programmes, six travel and tour operators have signed a MOU to further complete these packages and fine tune them for specific markets such as individual travelers, group packages, students and corporate team building or retreats.

By: Nurul Syazila Abd Rani, Promotion & Business Development Centre, MARDI

The Harumanis Mango Rehabilitation Technology Day was held on May 12, 2015 at the Harumanis Rehabilitation Project Farm at Kampung Bilal Utoh in Chuping, Perlis.

The event was held to introduce a new technique for rehabilita-tion of Harumanis mango through adult cloning.

As the responsible research institute, MARDI has carried out agricultural research and development in an effort to assist Harumanis farmers achieve higher yield and productivity.

Harumanis prices continue to strengthen and can reach RM35 per kg for high quality fruits.

Farmers who cultivate other mango crops such as Sale or Perlis Sunshine want to change over to Harumanis and the adult cloning method allows them to quickly change their crop without having to wait two to three years before harvest.

The adult cloning process requires the grafting of Harumanis shoots onto adult mango trees that offer lower quality fruits and the method is proven to produce fruits very quickly.

Cloning or grafting done in November 2014 has produced fruits and this has opened a whole new horizon of possibilities for Perlis mango farmers.

Harumanis Mango Rehabilitation Technology Day

By: Nur Aida Mohd Padzil, Corporate Communication, International and Quality Division, MARDI

The International Seminar on Cultivating Young Generation of Farmers with Farmland Policy Implication was

successfully held in MARDI Serdang from May 26 – 28, 2015. MARDI, as part of the technical member of Food and Fertilizer Technology Centre (FFTC), was given the honour to co-organise and co-sponsor this seminar.

Ten countries from the Asia Pasific Region participated in this seminar, namely, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philipines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam with a total of 14 participants.

The main objective of the seminar was to determine a better way for the government to prepare appropriate policies for young beginners to purchase or rent farmlands and for existing young farmers to increase their farmland scale.

The seminar was also a good platform to provide opportunities for the participants to share and exchange relevant information and knowledge necessary to formulate appropriate agricultural related policies applicable to every country and to the region.

The organisation of this seminar was timely since the aging problem among agricultural farmers is serious in this region which hampered farmers’ efforts in finding successors for their farming business.

Among the topics discussed were:

• Farmland policy for young generation: purchasing and leasing;

• Farmland bank programme for young generation;

• Farmland scale-up policy for young generation;

• Direct payment programme for young generation to get appropriate farmland and;

• Farmland pension programme.

The programmes for the 3-day event consisted of 2 days seminar and 1 day technical visit. Visits were organised to the Herbs Garden at MAEPS, KMS Agronomy Sdn. Bhd. (young agricultural entrepreneur coached by MARDI), a rockmelon fertigation farm and finally the Malaysian Tourism Centre (MaTiC) and KL sightseeing.

Concurrent with this International seminar, a local seminar, “Memupuk Generasi Muda Usahawantani 2015” was also held on May 26, 2015 with 200 young local agropreneurs as participants.

The main target was to expose young agropreneurs with the latest agricultural related technologies that can be used to benefit them. In addition, the seminar gave them an understanding on the current issues related to agricultural sector such as farmland issues, capital needs and also government initiatives besides improving their networking with the industrial players.

Some of the agroprenuers took the opportunity to promote their products at the exhibition designated areas during the seminar. Both local and international seminars were officially opened by the Deputy Secretary General for Policy, YBhg. Dato’ Azizan bin Mohamad Sidin from the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-based Industry.

FFTC International Seminar: Cultivating Young Generation of Farmers 2015

EVENTS12 Sept2015