Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)
The mini-rhizotron technique was used to study oil palm root turnover and longevity. Preliminary data collected over a three-month observation period was not sufficient to determine oil palm root longevity since the total root length was not constant. Root length replacement was high in tertiary roots about 11% more than secondary roots. Root observation has […]
The importance of leaf area index (LAI) in oil palm is highlighted. Factors such as the fractional light interception, conversion efficiency e, effects of age, climate, soil and fertilizer, and carbon balance are also discussed. LAI can be influenced by the number of fronds per palm, area per frond and planting density. Planting at optimal […]
Maintenance respiration (MR) is normally the largest fraction of dark respiration in crop plants. MR of mature oil palm is difficult, if not impossible, to measure directly. However, it can be calculated from respiratory coefficients and standing crop biomass components. The derivation of the coefficients is described and examples are given of the MR of […]
Cosmetic products contain variable amounts of nutrients that support microbial growth. Most contaminants in cosmetic products include bacteria suchas Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Achromobacter andAlcaligenes. Contaminated water is a likely source of organisms found in cosmetic products. Products such as shampoo, hand and body lotion, facial cleanser, shower bath and moisturizer were analysed. In this study, […]
Palm oil (PO) and palm olein with an iodine value of 60 (POo-I.V.60), were blended with sunflower oil (SFO) and palm kernel olein (PKOo) according to the conventional three-component mixture design. The effects of blending and chemical and enzymatic interesterification on the polymorphic behaviour of the ternary blends of PO/SFO/PKOo and POo-I.V. 60/ SFO / […]
A one year crude palm kernel oil survey was conducted from May 1998 to April 1999 to monitor the oil characteristics. Nineteen kernel crushers from all over Malaysia participated in the survey. The mean composition of the major fatty acids was as follows: lauric acid, 47.9%, mystric acid, 16.7%, palmitic acid, 8.5% and oleic acid, […]
This Basal stem rot (BSR) disease, which has long been recognized as the most annihilating disease of field palms in Southeast Asia, still reigns as the number one killer of oil palms and serves a disastrous blow to palm oil production. With the identification of the causal agent, i.e. Ganoderma boninense, several control measures have […]
Biological control of basal stem rot of oil palm can be achieved through the use of a highly effective biocontrol strain of Trichoderma spp. The strain must not only have the appropriate mechanisms for biocontrol, such as antibiosis and mycoparasitism, but also a strong competitive ability to displace Ganoderma so as to minimize the pathogen’s […]
Stearic acid used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products must conform to the highest standard and meet stringent colour stability upon storage. Stearic acid blends are often necessary to obtain certain characteristics that cannot be met by pure stearic acid. The colour stability (colour after heating) of high purity stearic acid (>, 90%) is in the […]
The high cost of labour coupled with an acute shortage of agricultural workers in the plantation sector have made mechanization necessary. The role of machine in terms of mobility and function was accurately defined. The design and construction of an experimental transporter for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) collection in soft ground areas and peat are […]