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Agrobiodiversity Is

Vital For Our Nations


Security

National Gene Bank:


Custodian for Malaysian
Heritage

Pg2

Pg10

Sept 2015
Vol: 006
ISSN 2289-6511

Omega Feed From Fungi

A New Idea In Landscape Design:


Multispecies Planting
Pg3

Ceri Terengganu,
The Future Antioxidant Superstar
Pg6

651006

MARDI Essential Oil Technology


Incubator, Kuala Linggi
Pg9

Malaysian
Herbal Industry
Scenario

772289

Pg11

Congratulations

Trade in natural products reached


RM777billion in 2006 and it is
expected to triple by 2020.

We would adopt the information and communication


technology (ICT) as one of the methods to further develop
the countrys agriculture industry

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

hanging 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.
More on page 8

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


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

The Importance Of Agrobiodiversity While


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

ood 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, safeguarding food security continues to
be the worlds 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
conser ve ag robiodiversity with
sustainable utilisation of natural
resources for food security. The agroenvironment 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 sustainability 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.
More on page 2

Sept 2015

VIEW POINT
EDITORIAL

Agrobiodiversity Is Vital For Our Nations Security

By: Dato Dr. Sharif Haron


Director General, MARDI

iodiversity refers to every single life


entity surrounding us, from the tiny
single cell microbes to organisms
as big as the elephants or whales. Agrobiodiversity is a sub-set of biodiversity.
It is one of the most valuable features
for our nations 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-ecosystem 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 nations well-being. It has formed
the basis for our nations food security
systems (quality, quantity and
availability). It is also a source of new
agricultural commodities for the nations
wealth. In addition, it also provides
options to cope with unpredictable climate
change scenarios. In short, agrobiodiversity is a strategic asset to our nations
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.
Un for t u nately, ag robiodiversity 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

Advisor
Dato Dr. Sharif Haron
(Director General MARDI)

MARDI Editorial Team


Dr. Mohamad Roff Mohd Noor
Dr. Ainu Husna MS Suhaimi
Rohani Md Yon
Maheswary Vellupillai
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Copywriter
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Designer
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Art Director
Spice Communications Sdn Bhd
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increase in productivity relies substantially 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 peoples
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, bioprospection 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 agrobiodiversity stress due to introduction of exotic
and invasive species that will become a
key factor that threatens our agrobiodiversity. 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.

From front page

The Importance Of Agrobiodiversity While


Pursuing Agroenvironment Goals
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 participation 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 Transformation 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, agrobiodiversity conservation and sustainable
ag roecosystem a re someti mes
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 environmental 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.

Sept 2015

TECHNOLOGY

Naturalistic
Planting
Design:

A New Concept in
Urban Landscape
By: Dr. Zulhazmi Sayuti, Horticulture
Research Centre, MARDI

aturalistic 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.

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

Changing perceptions of nature


have influenced landscape professionals 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 CO 2
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 conceptualised 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.

By: Nor Fadilah Abdul Halim, Crop Science and Soil


Management Research Centre, MARDI, Dr. Tan Chon Seng,
Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

any 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

Omega Feed From Fungi

Comparison of production cost of omega fatty acids from fatty fish, microalgae and fungi

SOURCE

COST

YIELD
(from 1kg)

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

Fatty fish

RM10 for
1 kg sardine

17.6 ml oil

Contains DHA & EPA

Contamination with heavy


metals

Microalgae
(Crypthecodinium cohnii)

RM45 for
1 kg algae

12.7 ml oil

Contains DHA

High cost production


Complex process of extraction
of Omega-3 fatty acids

350 ml oil + 500


OMEGA feed from fungi RM2.50 for 1 kg
g fermented
(Mortierella species)
substrate
substrate

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

Contains DHA & EPA


Lower production cost
Simple procedure
High yield of Omega-3
fatty acids

fungi-based omega fatty acid source is an example of


green or sustainable technology that offers significantly 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.

Sept 2015

TECHNOLOGY

Cincau: Our Favourite Fairy Herb


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

incau, 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.

Cincau hitam

Cincau rambat

Cincau perdu

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 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 produces more


extract than cincau rambat and
it is more suitable for commercialisation. 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.

Dukung Anak, The Little Gems


Growing In Our Backyard

Phyllanthus watsonii

Phyllanthus amarus

By: Dr. Indu Bala Jaganath,


Research Specialist, MARDI, Serdang

ost of us are unaware that our


gardens are harbouring little
gems with considerable
healing powers. Dukung anak is Gods
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 cows or
goats 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.

Phyllanthus niruri

Phyllanthus urinaria

Due to their different chemical


compositions and therefore different
efficacies, it is important that the identity
of each of these herbs be first authenticated. 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 1980s due to extensive

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 industrys expansion
and penetration into the international
market.
Inconsistent production of phytonutrients 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

scientific evidence of the herbs antiviral


activity against Hepatitis B.
With the advent of science and
technology, especially in areas of biotechnology 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

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 phytonutrients 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 MARDIs 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.

Sept 2015

ACHIEVEMENT

By: Dr. Tosiah Sadi, Agrobiodiversity and


Environment Research Centre, MARDI

eeds 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 contamination 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 environmental 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, 10 6 -10 7 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

Sambau infected rice field

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.

Exserohilum
monoceras

Sept 2015

FOCUS

A NEW IDEA IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN:


MULTISPECIES PLANTING

By: Dr. Hanim Ahmad,


Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI

nnual 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 1-1 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/m 2. 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.

Zinnia

flowers which can be


used for multispecies
planting

Celosia

Sept 2015

FOCUS

Tagetes

Tithonia
Pennisetium

Gomphrena

Impatiens

Cosmos

Image Copyright : Floria Sdn. Bhd.

Sept 2015

COMMERCIALISATION

From front page

Malaysian Herbal Industry Scenario


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 Malaysias 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, complementary 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

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 Governments 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.

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 commercialisation 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.

Sarawak coals show promise for local NHA Fertilizer products


Nitrohumic Acids (NHA) From Low Calorific Coal For Crop Booster Fertilizers
By: Muhammad Syahren Adzahar, Crop Science
and Soil Management Research Centre, MARDI

itrohumic 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 photosynthetic 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.

Sept 2015

COMMERCIALISATION

Domestication Of Mas Cotek


For Commercial Production
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.

By: Musa Yaacob,


MARDI Kota Bharu, Kelantan

as 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

Production Technology

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 manufacturers.
The first step
towards domestication of the mas
cotek species was
to identify potential
accessions followed
by requirements
for
planting
medium, water and
ot her
a g r onom ic
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.

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

Ceri Terengganu,
The Future Antioxidant
Superstar
By: Mirfat Ahmad Hasan Salahudin and
Dr. Salma Idris, Agrobiodiversity and
Environment Research Centre, MARDI

nderutilised 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 underutilised fruits tested, Ceri Terengganu
{Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh}
was identified as the most antioxidantrich 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

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. Containerised 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.

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.

10

Sept 2015

SUCCESS STORY

National Gene
Bank: Custodian for
Malaysian Heritage
By: 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.


Its about fulfilling our Global responsibility
while serving the National interest

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 12-15C 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.

alaysia is one of the mega-diversity countries of the world and home to


about 7% of the worlds 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.

MARDI Rice Gene Bank


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.

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 3-4C 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.

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:

Rice varieties available in the genebank

Specialty rice released by MARDI available at the gene bank

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 -20C. 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 25C 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.

Sept 2015

11

SUCCESS STORY

From page 10

National Gene bank (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 International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

MARDI Essential Oil


Technology Incubator,
Kuala Linggi
Essential oil incubator in MARDI
Kuala Linggi, Melaka

By: Rais Khalil, Promotion and Business


Development Centre, MARDI

ARDI 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

Entrepreneur is taught the technique of separating the oil and water

Distillation of leaves

Products from essential oil

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 entrepreneurs.

12

Sept 2015

EVENTS

MAEPS Agrotourism
Park Carnival

FFTC International Seminar: Cultivating


Young Generation of Farmers 2015

By: Nur Aida Mohd Padzil,


Corporate Communication, International and
Quality Division, MARDI

he International Seminar on Cultivating


Young Generation of Farmers with
Farmland Policy Implicationwas
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 productsat the
exhibition designated areas during the seminar.
Both local and international seminars were
officially opened bythe Deputy Secretary
General for Policy, YBhg. Dato Azizan
bin Mohamad Sidin from the Ministry of
Agriculture& Agro-based Industry.

By: NurAkmal Hassan, Corporate Communication,


International and Quality Division, MARDI

he 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.

Harumanis Mango

Rehabilitation Technology Day

By: Nurul Syazila Abd Rani,


Promotion & Business Development Centre, MARDI

he 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 rehabilitation 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.

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