Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 29 in total

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  1. Bambara groundnut: an exemplar underutilised legume for resilience under climate change
    Mayes S, Ho WK, Chai HH, Gao X, Kundy AC, Mateva KI, et al.
    Planta, 2019 Sep;250(3):803-820.
    PMID: 31267230 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03191-6
    MAIN CONCLUSION: Bambara groundnut has the potential to be used to contribute more the climate change ready agriculture. The requirement for nitrogen fixing, stress tolerant legumes is clear, particularly in low input agriculture. However, ensuring that existing negative traits are tackled and demand is stimulated through the development of markets and products still represents a challenge to making greater use of this legume. World agriculture is currently based on very limited numbers of crops, representing a significant risk to food supplies, particularly in the face of climate change which is expected to increase the frequency of extreme events. Minor and underutilised crops can help to develop a more resilient and nutritionally dense future agriculture. Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.[, as a drought resistant, nitrogen-fixing, legume has a role to play. However, as with most underutilised crops, there are significant gaps in knowledge and also negative traits such as 'hard-to-cook' and 'photoperiod sensitivity to pod filling' associated with the crop which future breeding programmes and processing methods need to tackle, to allow it to make a significant contribution to the well-being of future generations. The current review assesses these factors and also considers what are the next steps towards realising the potential of this crop.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production/methods
  2. Fulltext A Low-Cost Information Monitoring System for Smart Farming Applications
    Saqib M, Almohamad TA, Mehmood RM
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Apr 22;20(8).
    PMID: 32331212 DOI: 10.3390/s20082367
    A low-cost, low-power, and low data-rate solution is proposed to fulfill the requirements of information monitoring for actual large-scale agricultural farms. A small-scale farm can be easily managed. By contrast, a large farm will require automating equipment that contributes to crop production. Sensor based soil properties measurement plays an integral role in designing a fully automated agricultural farm, also provides more satisfactory results than any manual method. The existing information monitoring solutions are inefficient in terms of higher deployment cost and limited communication range to adapt the need of large-scale agriculture farms. A serial based low-power, long-range, and low-cost communication module is proposed to confront the challenges of monitoring information over long distances. In the proposed system, a tree-based communication mechanism is deployed to extend the communication range by adding intermediate nodes. Each sensor node consists of a solar panel, a rechargeable cell, a microcontroller, a moisture sensor, and a communication unit. Each node is capable to work as a sensor node and router node for network traffic. Minimized data logs from the central node are sent daily to the cloud for future analytics purpose. After conducting a detailed experiment in open sight, the communication distance measured 250 m between two points and increased to 750 m by adding two intermediate nodes. The minimum working current of each node was 2 mA, and the packet loss rate was approximately 2-5% on different packet sizes of the entire network. Results show that the proposed approach can be used as a reference model to meet the requirements for soil measurement, transmission, and storage in a large-scale agricultural farm.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  3. Modern analytical and bioanalytical technologies and concepts for smart and precision farming
    Tsong JL, Khor SM
    Anal Methods, 2023 Jul 06;15(26):3125-3148.
    PMID: 37376849 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay00647f
    Unpredictable natural disasters, disease outbreaks, climate change, pollution, and war constantly threaten food crop production. Smart and precision farming encourages using information or data obtained by using advanced technology (sensors, AI, and IoT) to improve decision-making in agriculture and achieve high productivity. For instance, weather prediction, nutrient information, pollutant assessment, and pathogen determination can be made with the help of new analytical and bioanalytical methods, demonstrating the potential for societal impact such as environmental, agricultural, and food science. As a rising technology, biosensors can be a potential tool to promote smart and precision farming in developing and underdeveloped countries. This review emphasizes the role of on-field, in vivo, and wearable biosensors in smart and precision farming, especially those biosensing systems that have proven with suitably complex and analytically challenging samples. The development of various agricultural biosensors in the past five years that fulfill market requirements such as portability, low cost, long-term stability, user-friendliness, rapidity, and on-site monitoring will be reviewed. The challenges and prospects for developing IoT and AI-integrated biosensors to increase crop yield and advance sustainable agriculture will be discussed. Using biosensors in smart and precision farming would ensure food security and revenue for farming communities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  4. Trade-induced displacement of impacts of global crop production on oxygen depletion in marine ecosystems
    Bidoglio GA, Mueller ND, Kastner T
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 May 15;873:162226.
    PMID: 36801408 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162226
    In our globalized world, local impacts of agricultural production are increasingly driven by consumption in geographically distant places. Current agricultural systems strongly rely on nitrogen (N) fertilization to increase soil fertility and crop yields. Yet, a large portion of N added to cropland is lost through leaching / runoff potentially leading to eutrophication in coastal ecosystems. By coupling data on global production and N fertilization for 152 crops with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based model, we first estimated the extent of oxygen depletion occurring in 66 Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) due to agricultural production in the watersheds draining into these LMEs. We then linked this information to crop trade data to assess the displacement from consuming to producing countries, in terms of oxygen depletion impacts associated to our food systems. In this way, we characterized how impacts are distributed between traded and domestically sourced agricultural products. We found that few countries dominate global impacts and that cereal and oil crop production accounts for the bulk of oxygen depletion impacts. Globally, 15.9 % of total oxygen depletion impacts of crop production are ascribable to export-driven production. However, for exporting countries like Canada, Argentina or Malaysia this share is much higher, often up to three-quarters of their production impacts. In some importing countries, trade contributes to reduce pressure on already highly affected coastal ecosystems. This is the case for countries whose domestic crop production is associated with high oxygen depletion intensities, i.e. the impact per kcal produced, such as Japan or South Korea. Next to these positive effects trade can play in lowering overall environmental burdens, our results also highlight the importance of a holistic food system perspective when aiming to reduce the oxygen depletion impacts of crop production.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  5. Fulltext Identifying Where REDD+ Financially Out-Competes Oil Palm in Floodplain Landscapes Using a Fine-Scale Approach
    Abram NK, MacMillan DC, Xofis P, Ancrenaz M, Tzanopoulos J, Ong R, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(6):e0156481.
    PMID: 27276218 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156481
    Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to avoid forest conversion to alternative land-uses through financial incentives. Oil-palm has high opportunity costs, which according to current literature questions the financial competitiveness of REDD+ in tropical lowlands. To understand this more, we undertook regional fine-scale and coarse-scale analyses (through carbon mapping and economic modelling) to assess the financial viability of REDD+ in safeguarding unprotected forest (30,173 ha) in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Malaysian Borneo. Results estimate 4.7 million metric tons of carbon (MgC) in unprotected forest, with 64% allocated for oil-palm cultivations. Through fine-scale mapping and carbon accounting, we demonstrated that REDD+ can outcompete oil-palm in regions with low suitability, with low carbon prices and low carbon stock. In areas with medium oil-palm suitability, REDD+ could outcompete oil palm in areas with: very high carbon and lower carbon price; medium carbon price and average carbon stock; or, low carbon stock and high carbon price. Areas with high oil palm suitability, REDD+ could only outcompete with higher carbon price and higher carbon stock. In the coarse-scale model, oil-palm outcompeted REDD+ in all cases. For the fine-scale models at the landscape level, low carbon offset prices (US $3 MgCO2e) would enable REDD+ to outcompete oil-palm in 55% of the unprotected forests requiring US $27 million to secure these areas for 25 years. Higher carbon offset price (US $30 MgCO2e) would increase the competitiveness of REDD+ within the landscape but would still only capture between 69%-74% of the unprotected forest, requiring US $380-416 million in carbon financing. REDD+ has been identified as a strategy to mitigate climate change by many countries (including Malaysia). Although REDD+ in certain scenarios cannot outcompete oil palm, this research contributes to the global REDD+ debate by: highlighting REDD+ competitiveness in tropical floodplain landscapes; and, providing a robust approach for identifying and targeting limited REDD+ funds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production/economics*
  6. Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) for food and nutritional security: synthesis of past research and future direction
    Tanzi AS, Eagleton GE, Ho WK, Wong QN, Mayes S, Massawe F
    Planta, 2019 Sep;250(3):911-931.
    PMID: 30911885 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03141-2
    MAIN CONCLUSION: Winged bean is popularly known as "One Species Supermarket" for its nutrient-dense green pods, immature seeds, tubers, leaves, and mature seeds. This underutilised crop has potential beneficial traits related to its biological nitrogen-fixation to support low-input farming. Drawing from past knowledge, and based on current technologies, we propose a roadmap for research and development of winged bean for sustainable food systems. Reliance on a handful of "major" crops has led to decreased diversity in crop species, agricultural systems and human diets. To reverse this trend, we need to encourage the greater use of minor, "orphan", underutilised species. These could contribute to an increase in crop diversity within agricultural systems, to improve human diets, and to support more sustainable and resilient food production systems. Among these underutilised species, winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) has long been proposed as a crop for expanded use particularly in the humid tropics. It is an herbaceous perennial legume of equatorial environments and has been identified as a rich source of protein, with most parts of the plant being edible when appropriately prepared. However, to date, limited progress in structured improvement programmes has restricted the expansion of winged bean beyond its traditional confines. In this paper, we discuss the reasons for this and recommend approaches for better use of its genetic resources and related Psophocarpus species in developing improved varieties. We review studies on the growth, phenology, nodulation and nitrogen-fixation activity, breeding programmes, and molecular analyses. We then discuss prospects for the crop based on the greater understanding that these studies have provided and considering modern plant-breeding technologies and approaches. We propose a more targeted and structured research approach to fulfil the potential of winged bean to contribute to food security.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production/trends
  7. Influence of field soil drought stress on some key physiological, yield and quality traits of selected newly-developed hexaploid bread wheat (triticum aestivum l.) cultivars
    Tariq Shahzad, Muhammad Mansoor Javaid, Hasnain Waheed, Tasawer Abbas, Muhammad Ashraf, Feng-Min Li, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2625-2635.
    Drought is one of the commonly occurring environmental stresses, limiting crop production in many countries. Selection
    of cultivar is the most effective and economical means for alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress on crops. The
    present study aimed to investigate the growth, some physiological processes, yield and quality of some newly-developed
    wheat cultivars (AARI-2011, AAS-2011, Faisalabad-2008, Millat-2011 and Punjab-2011) under field drought stress
    conditions. The cultivars were sown in a field under normal irrigation and drought-induced conditions. Maximum net
    photosynthetic rate was recorded in cv. AAS-2011 at growth stage of 67 days after wheat emergence under normal irrigation
    and cv. Faisalabad-2008 at 67 days after wheat emergence under drought condition. Leaf stomatal conductance and
    transpiration rate were maximum in cv. Faisalabad-2008 under drought conditions. The adverse effects of drought stress
    were observed more on cv. Millat-2011 than Faisalabad-2008, with respect to net photosynthetic rate and transpiration.
    Drought exerted a significant adverse effect on leaf stomatal conductance at 74 days after wheat emergence which was
    recorded as 230 mmol m-2 s-1. Among the cultivars, AAS-2011 recorded maximum yield traits and grain yield under normal
    irrigation condition and Faisalabad-2008 under drought condition. Cultivar Millat-2011 was the most susceptible to
    drought and Faisalabad-2008 the most resistant to drought. Faisalabad-2008 maintained the quality at the most under
    drought stress conditions. It is concluded that Fasialabad-2008 should be grown under field drought conditions to achieve
    maximal yield and quality of wheat.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  8. Fulltext Comparison between conventional human energy measurement and physical human energy measurement methods in wetland rice production
    Elsoragaby S, Yahya A, Nawi NM, Mahadi MR, Mairghany M, Muazu A, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Nov;6(11):e05332.
    PMID: 33294651 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05332
    Measurement of human energy expenditure during crop production helps in the optimization of production operations and costs by identifying steps which that can benefit from the use of appropriate mechanization technologies. This study measures human energy expenditure associated with all 6 major rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation operations using two measurement methods-i.e. conventional human energy expenditure method and direct measurement with a Garmin forerunner 35 body media. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed comparison of these two methods and document the human energy costs in a manner that will identify steps to be taken to help optimize agricultural practices. Results (mean + 95%CL) revealed that the total human energy expenditure obtained through the conventional method was 25.5% higher (33.3 ± 1 versus 26.6 ± 1.3) in transplanting and 26.1% higher (30.3 ± 1.9 versus 24.0 ± 2.1) than the human energy expenditure recorded using the Garmin method in broadcast seeding method. Similarly, during the harvesting operation, the conventional measurement and Garmin measurement methods differed significantly, with the conventional method the human energy expenditure was 89.9% higher (3.2 ± 0.4 versus 1.68 ± 0.2) in the fields using the transplanting and 88.7% higher (3.3 ± 0.5 versus 1.8 ± 0.3) in the fields using the broadcast seeding than the human energy expenditure recorded using the Garmin method. When using Garmin method, the human energy expenditure in the case of using the midsize combine harvester was 13.49% lesser (592.4 ± 67.2 versus 522.0 ± 75.1) than the case of using conventional one. Results based on heart rate also indicated that operations such as tillage were less intensive (72 ± 3.3 bpm) compared with operations such as chemicals spraying (135 ± 4 bpm). Although we did not have a criterion measure available to determine which method was the most accurate, the Garmin measurement gives an estimate of actual physical human energy expended in performing a specific task with consider all conditions and thus more information to aid in identifying critical operations that could be optimized and mechanized.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  9. Impacts of droughts and floods on croplands and crop production in Southeast Asia - An application of Google Earth Engine
    Venkatappa M, Sasaki N, Han P, Abe I
    Sci Total Environ, 2021 Nov 15;795:148829.
    PMID: 34252779 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148829
    While droughts and floods have intensified in recent years, only a handful of studies have assessed their impacts on croplands and production in Southeast Asia. Here, we used the Google Earth Engine to assess the droughts and floods and their impacts on croplands and crop production over 40 years from 1980 to 2019. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) as the basis for determining the drought and flood levels, and crop damage levels, crop production loss in both the Monsoon Climate Region (MCR) and the Equatorial Climate Region (ECR) of Southeast Asia was assessed over 47,192 grid points with 10 × 10-kilometer resolution. We found that rainfed crops were severely affected by droughts in the MCR and floods in the ECR. About 9.42 million ha and 3.72 million ha of cropland was damaged by droughts and floods, respectively. We estimated a total loss of 20.64 million tons of crop production between 2015 and 2019. Rainfed crops in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar were strongly affected by droughts, whereas Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia were more affected by floods over the same period. Accordingly, four levels of policy interventions were prioritized by considering the geolocated crop damage levels.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  10. An overview of genetically modified crop governance, issues and challenges in Malaysia
    Andrew J, Ismail NW, Djama M
    J Sci Food Agric, 2018 Jan;98(1):12-17.
    PMID: 28898466 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8666
    The application of agricultural biotechnology attracts the interest of many stakeholders. Genetically modified (GM) crops, for example, have been rapidly increasing in production for the last 20 years. Despite their known benefits, GM crops also pose many concerns not only to human and animal health but also to the environment. Malaysia, in general, allows the use of GM technology applications but it has to come with precautionary and safety measures consistent with the international obligations and domestic legal frameworks. This paper provides an overview of GM crop technology from international and national context and explores the governance and issues surrounding this technology application in Malaysia. Basically, GM research activities in Malaysia are still at an early stage of research and development and most of the GM crops approved for release are limited for food, feed and processing purposes. Even though Malaysia has not planted any GM crops commercially, actions toward such a direction seem promising. Several issues concerning GM crops as discussed in this paper will become more complex as the number of GM crops and varieties commercialised globally increase and Malaysia starts to plant GM crops. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production/legislation & jurisprudence*; Crop Production/organization & administration; Crop Production/standards
  11. A study on the physical and hydraulic characteristics of cocopeat perlite mixture as a growing media in containerized plant production
    Wan Fazilah Fazlil Ilahi, Desa Ahmad
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;46:975-980.
    A well-known planting medium in soilless culture is a coconut based material famously known in Malaysia as cocopeat.
    It is a viable ecologically friendly peat soil substitute for containerized crop production. The multipurpose growing media
    had received much interest particularly in commercial applications. This study focused on the physical and hydraulic
    characteristics of cocopeat perlite mixture as a growing media in containerized plant production. Perlite was added to
    cocopeat at a ratio of 3 cocopeat: 1 perlite. Bulk density, particle density, porosity, particle size distribution, water holding
    capacity, wettability and hydraulic conductivity of the media were evaluated. About 82.93% of the total particles were
    in the range between 0.425 and 4 mm in diameter at a bulk density of 0.09 g/cm3
    . Total porosity (79%) and wettability
    improved with the incorporation of perlite to cocopeat. This study showed that water holding capacity was very high at
    912.54% whereas the saturated hydraulic conductivity was low at 0.1 cm/s. The results showed that adding perlite to
    cocopeat had improved the physical and hydraulic characteristics of the media.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  12. Fulltext Global agricultural intensification during climate change: a role for genomics
    Abberton M, Batley J, Bentley A, Bryant J, Cai H, Cockram J, et al.
    Plant Biotechnol J, 2016 Apr;14(4):1095-8.
    PMID: 26360509 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12467
    Agriculture is now facing the 'perfect storm' of climate change, increasing costs of fertilizer and rising food demands from a larger and wealthier human population. These factors point to a global food deficit unless the efficiency and resilience of crop production is increased. The intensification of agriculture has focused on improving production under optimized conditions, with significant agronomic inputs. Furthermore, the intensive cultivation of a limited number of crops has drastically narrowed the number of plant species humans rely on. A new agricultural paradigm is required, reducing dependence on high inputs and increasing crop diversity, yield stability and environmental resilience. Genomics offers unprecedented opportunities to increase crop yield, quality and stability of production through advanced breeding strategies, enhancing the resilience of major crops to climate variability, and increasing the productivity and range of minor crops to diversify the food supply. Here we review the state of the art of genomic-assisted breeding for the most important staples that feed the world, and how to use and adapt such genomic tools to accelerate development of both major and minor crops with desired traits that enhance adaptation to, or mitigate the effects of climate change.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  13. Fulltext Suppression subtractive hybridization technique in wheat for the identification of disease resistance differentially expressed genes
    Aktar-Uz-Zamana, Md., Tuhina-Khatun, Mst., Mohamed Hanafi Musa, Sahebi, Mahbod
    The Pertanika Journal of Scholarly Research Reviews, 2015;2(1):49-62.
    MyJurnal
    A resistant variety with high yielding potential is key for increasing crop production to
    fulfill the food requirement of the ever increasing world populations. Consequently, the aim of plant
    breeders is to develop high yielding varieties or cultivars that are resistant or tolerant to specific
    diseases or insects. For developing a resistant variety, it is enormously indispensable to incorporate or
    introgress the specific resistant genes of that particular disease into the recipient. Suppression
    subtractive hybridization (SSH) is a powerful technique for the identification of disease specific
    differentially expressed genes that are expressed in a resistant or susceptible variety. This paper
    presents a brief review on the SSH technique with examples focusing on the identification of the
    wheat disease specific differentially expressed genes and their defense mechanisms against fungal
    pathogens in global wheat cultivars. This review is helpful for wheat researchers for the updated
    information on the SSH technique for the identification of differentially expressed genes in the global
    wheat cultivars and varieties. Eventually, the identified genes could be used to develop the disease
    resistance variety through marker-assisted backcrossing programme or conventional breeding.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  14. Improving the productivity of acid sulfate soils for rice cultivation using limestone, basalt, organic fertilizer and/or their combinations
    Shamshuddin J, Panhwar Q, Shazana M, Elisa A, Fauziah C, Naher U
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:383-392.
    Acid sulfate soils are generally not suitable for the crop production unless they are efficiently improved. A study was conducted to improve the productivity of acid sulfate soils for rice cultivation using ground magnesium limestone (GML), basalt and organic fertilizer. The study was conducted on rice in laboratory, glasshouse and field. The pH of acid sulfate soils was low and exchangeable Al was very high which affected rice growth. The application of GML and basalt increased soil pH and reduced Al toxicity. GML required to ameliorate the soils for rice cultivation was 4 t ha-1. Basalt in combination with organic fertilizer was a good soil amendment, but required to be applied a few months ahead of rice cultivation. Due to GML or basalt application, rice plants grew well even though water pH was below 5. The highest rice yield obtained was 4.0 t ha-1 season-1 for Sulfaquepts and it was 7.5 t ha-1 season-1 for Sulfosaprists. In general, the application of GML or basalt in combination with organic fertilizer improved the productivity of acid sulfate soils and consequently enhanced rice yield.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  15. Fulltext Case study on climate change effects and food security in Southeast Asia
    Taniushkina D, Lukashevich A, Shevchenko V, Belalov IS, Sotiriadi N, Narozhnaia V, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2024 Jul 12;14(1):16150.
    PMID: 38997290 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65140-y
    Agriculture, a cornerstone of human civilization, faces rising challenges from climate change, resource limitations, and stagnating yields. Precise crop production forecasts are crucial for shaping trade policies, development strategies, and humanitarian initiatives. This study introduces a comprehensive machine learning framework designed to predict crop production. We leverage CMIP5 climate projections under a moderate carbon emission scenario to evaluate the future suitability of agricultural lands and incorporate climatic data, historical agricultural trends, and fertilizer usage to project yield changes. Our integrated approach forecasts significant regional variations in crop production across Southeast Asia by 2028, identifying potential cropland utilization. Specifically, the cropland area in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Viet Nam is projected to decline by more than 10% if no action is taken, and there is potential to mitigate that loss. Moreover, rice production is projected to decline by 19% in Viet Nam and 7% in Thailand, while the Philippines may see a 5% increase compared to 2021 levels. Our findings underscore the critical impacts of climate change and human activities on agricultural productivity, offering essential insights for policy-making and fostering international cooperation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  16. Fulltext Quantification of muscles activations and joints range of motions during oil palm fresh fruit bunch harvesting and loose fruit collection
    Teo YX, Chan YS, Gouwanda D, Gopalai AA, Nurzaman SG, Thannirmalai S
    Sci Rep, 2021 07 22;11(1):15020.
    PMID: 34294775 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94268-4
    Although global demand for palm oil has been increasing, most activities in the oil palm plantations still rely heavily on manual labour, which includes fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting and loose fruit (LF) collection. As a result, harvesters and/or collectors face ergonomic risks resulting in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) due to awkward, extreme and repetitive posture during their daily work routines. Traditionally, indirect approaches were adopted to assess these risks using a survey or manual visual observations. In this study, a direct measurement approach was performed using Inertial Measurement Units, and surface Electromyography sensors. The instruments were attached to different body parts of the plantation workers to quantify their muscle activities and assess the ergonomics risks during FFB harvesting and LF collection. The results revealed that the workers generally displayed poor and discomfort posture in both activities. Biceps, multifidus and longissimus muscles were found to be heavily used during FFB harvesting. Longissimus, iliocostalis, and multifidus muscles were the most used muscles during LF collection. These findings can be beneficial in the design of various assistive tools which could improve workers' posture, reduce the risk of injury and MSD, and potentially improve their overall productivity and quality of life.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production*
  17. Field evaluation of newly-developed controlled release fertilizer on rice production and nitrogen uptake
    Mohammad Mu'az Hashim, Mohd Khanif Yusop, Radziah Othman, Samsuri Abd. Wahid
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:925-932.
    Implementation of sound fertilizer management in rice cultivation is essential in optimizing productivity and profitability. The use of controlled release fertilizer (CRF) to improve crop production in various cropping systems has been widely explored, with new approaches and materials continually being studied to produce new CRF. A field study was carried out to determine the efficiency of local CRFs on rice production and N uptake using MR220 CL1 rice variety. Ten different types of CRFs consisting of two groups namely biochar impregnated urea (BIU 300-5, BIU 300-10, BIU 700-5 and BIU 700-10) and palm stearin (PS) coated urea with nitrification inhibitors (PS, PS+DMPP-100, PS+DMPP-50, PS+DMPP-150, PS+Cu and PS+Zn) were used as treatments. Plant height, SPAD reading, 1000-grain weight and harvest index (HI) showed significant improvement in rice treated with both biochar impregnated and palm stearin coated urea. With respect to grain yield, BIU 300-10, BIU 700-5, BIU 700-10, PS+DMPP-100, PS+DMPP-50, PS+DMPP-150 and PS+Cu treatments significantly increased rice yield. The CRFs mostly showed significantly higher N uptake in rice, especially in rice grains, however, there was no significant difference among treatments in soil residual ammonium (NH4+-N). The newly-developed CRFs showed huge potential as an alternative for common urea, especially BIU 700-5, BIU 700-10, PS+DMPP-100 and PS+DMPP-50, in increasing rice grain yield. With proper approaches, these CRFs can contribute in improving rice production to provide sufficient food for ever increasing population.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  18. Fulltext Effective composting of empty fruit bunches using potential Trichoderma strains
    Siddiquee S, Shafawati SN, Naher L
    Biotechnol Rep (Amst), 2017 Mar;13:1-7.
    PMID: 28352555 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2016.11.001
    Oil palm fibres are easy to degrade, eco-friendly in nature and once composted, they can be categorized under nutrient-enriched biocompost. Biocompost is not only a good biofertilizer but also a good biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens. In this research, experimental works on the composting of empty fruit bunches (EFB) from the oil palm industry were conducted using two potential Trichoderma strains. Analysis of pH initially found the soils to be slightly acidic. However, after composting, the soils were found to be alkaline. Trichoderma propagules increased by 72% in the soils compared to other fungi. Soil electrical conductivity was found to be 50.40 μS/cm for compost A, 42.10 μS/cm for compost B and 40.11 μS/cm for the control. The highest C:N ratio was obtained for compost A at 3.33, followed by compost B at 2.79, and then the control at 1.55. The highest percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were found in compost A (0.91:2.13:6.68), which was followed by compost B (0.46:0.83:5.85) and then the control (0.32:0.26:5.76). Thus, the biocomposting of oil palm fibres shows great potential for enhancing soil micronutrient, plant growth performance, and crop yield production.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  19. Induction, Subculture Cycle, and Regeneration of Callus in Safed Musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum) using Different Types of Phytohormones
    Nakasha JJ, Sinniah UR, Kemat N, Mallappa KS
    Pharmacogn Mag, 2016 Jul;12(Suppl 4):S460-S464.
    PMID: 27761075
    BACKGROUND: Chlorophytum borivilianum is an industrially valued medicinal crop. Propagation through seeds is not feasible because of low germination percentage and long dormancy period. Therefore, callus culture and plant regeneration can be an alternative to improve this crop production. Also, callus can serve as an alternative source of bioactive compounds.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of different phytohormones on callus induction, subculture cycle, and regeneration studies of callus in C. borivilianum.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Young shoot buds of C. borivilianum were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog medium fortified with 3% sucrose and different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 mg/L) of either naphthalene acetic acid or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or indole-3-acetic acid and callus induction was evaluated up to four subcultures cycles. Shoot regeneration from callus was studied on Murashige and Skoog media fortified with 6-benzylaminopurine andkinetin or thidiazuron at varied levels (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 mg/L). Microshoots were rooted on Murashige and Skoog media supplemented with 1.0 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid and plantlets were acclimatized before transferred to the natural conditions.

    RESULTS: Callus induction was better evidenced on Murashige and Skoog media containing 5 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid up to fourth subculture. Callus differentiated into shoots on Murashige and Skoog media fortified with 6-benzylaminopurine or kinetin, whereas thidiazuron completely failed to regenerate shoots. Furthermore, microshoots rooted on 1.0 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid containing Murashige and Skoog media. The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and established in soil with 88.3% survivability.

    CONCLUSION: The type of auxins played an important role in inducing callus tissue from shoot bud explants of Safed musli. In future, this in vitro protocol could benefit in crop improvement programs and serve as a new source of bioactive compounds from Safed musli callus tissue for various therapeutic applications.

    SUMMARY: Explants de-differentiated to form callus on Murashige and Skoog media containing 5 mg/L 2,4-D up to fourth subculture.Callus re-differentiated into shoots on Murashige and Skoog media fortified with 0.5 mg/L BAP.In vitro rooting of shoots was achieved on 1.0 mg/L IBA containing Murashige and Skoog media.The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and established in soil with 88.3% survivability. Abbreviations used: MS: Murashige and Skoog, NAA: naphthalene acetic acid, 2,4-D: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, IAA: indole-3-acetic acid, BAP: 6-benzylaminopurine, Kn: Kinetin, TDZ: thidiazuron, IBA: indole-3-butyric acid, RCBD: Randomized Complete Block Design, DMRT: Duncan's Multiple Range Test.

    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
  20. Fulltext Microclimate inside a tropical greenhouse equipped with evaporative cooling pads
    Diyana Jamaludin, Desa Ahmad, Rezuwan Kamaruddin, Hawa Z. E. Jaafar
    Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2014;22(1):255-271.
    MyJurnal
    Tropical greenhouses require active evaporative cooling system such as pad-and-fan to ensure a suitable microclimate for crop production. Excess heat causes indoor temperature to become hotter than desired resulting in detrimental effects to crop growth and production. Solar radiation intensity and outside temperature affect temperature and relative humidity level inside a greenhouse, while wide gradients in temperature and relative humidity can cause problems related to crop growth and production uniformity. A 300 m2 greenhouse, equipped with evaporative pad and four exhaust fans at each end walls, was used in the study. Horizontal and vertical profiles of the temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were investigated. Results showed that temperature increased from evaporative pad area to exhaust fans area in a horizontal plane, while relative humidity showed an inverse pattern from temperature. In the vertical plane, temperature increased, while relative humidity decreased from lower level to the upper level. ANOVA results showed that in overall, temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were uniform as there was no significant difference at 95% confidence interval. Thus, it was concluded that greenhouse cooling system by evaporative pad and exhaust fans are suitable for application in a tropical country such as Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crop Production
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