Preserving soil, water quality at Muda and Ahning dams
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY DR DALJIT SINGH S/O KARAM SINGH SIK, KEDAH: Several Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) researchers have embarked on a joint research with Muda Agriculture Development Authority (MADA) to monitor soil and water quality at Muda and Ahning dams. “Good water quality gives an assurance that water supply for both domestic and […]
Feeding Asia: Region needs to up its game
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe FAO’s recent sobering report warned of the need to significantly increase investments in agriculture to meet the anticipated 50% increase in food demand by 2050. Asia as a net food and animal feed deficit region needs to up its game. PAUL TENG & CHRISTOPHER VAS comment. The latest report by the Food and Agriculture […]
Because necessity is the mother of inventions
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY P. KANDIAH The inconvenience of fitting and using a dust bag in a vacuum cleaner inspired Sir James Dyson (as he is referred to now) to develop a bag-less vacuum cleaner which innovation has brought much comfort to those tashed with vacuuming floors. Dyson’s bagless vacuum cleaner has taken the world by suprise. Pharmaceutical […]
Mitsubishi Corp and SBC explore use of algae as feedstock gears up
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEMENGOH, SARAWAK: Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will move into the next phase of a research collaboration which started in year 2012. The collaboration between MC and SBC has reached Phase 3 (Demonstration and Validation of Commercially Viable Microalgal Biomass Production Technologies) which will implement an outdoor facility to demonstrate and […]
From flask to field: How tiny microbes are revolutionising big agr
Reading Time: 5 minuteshttps://theconversation.com BY MATTHEW WALLENSTEIN, Associate Professor and Director, Innovation Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Colorado State University Walk into your typical U.S. or U.K. grocery store and feast your eyes on an amazing bounty of fresh and processed foods. In most industrialised countries, it’s hard to imagine that food production is one of the greatest challenges […]
Polar region expedition yields novel bacteria
Reading Time: 2 minutesBacteria found by Malaysian expedition team has cancer fighting potential BY DR CHEAH YOKE KQUEEN SERDANG: A new microbe discovered during an expedition to the polar region of Antarctica in November 2007 by a Malaysian research team can produce a compound that is active against pathogens and cancer cells, in particular colorectal and breast cancer […]
How do disposable diapers work?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteFOR many parents, disposable diapers are a must-have item. Have you ever wondered how a small item like a diaper is able to hold so much liquid? Diapers are usually made of plastic, paper and something called sodium polyacrylate. If you cut open a diaper, you will notice a crystal like substance – that is […]
Way forward with information technology in oil palm fields
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Informatics Department of FGV R&D Sdn Bhd (FGVR&D) was established with a vision to exploit and maximise the use of information technology in research and development. One of FGVR&D’s strength is the great resources and experience it has in oil palm research, especially breeding new planting materials. The foundation of FGVR&D research is grounded […]
Climate-smart rice key to farmer resilience, says IRRI head
Reading Time: < 1 minuteChennai,India: Stress-tolerant rice varieties can help make farmers more resilient against the increasingly destructive effects of climate change, said Matthew Morell, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Delivering the Millenium Lecture at the M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai on 10 February, Morell described rice as “the engine of food security,” […]
Offshore security surveillance gets serious attention
Reading Time: 3 minutesSafety and security has been a growing concern recently throughout the world. The main reason being is accidents – fire and explosions and criminal activities, such as act of terrorism and piracy. Land is not the only place for such threat, seas and oceans are getting the same as well. In past years, different ways and/or […]