THE AGRI & AQUA

CULTURING NEWSLETTER
To Further Malaysias Agriculture & Aquaculture Industry

Issue 8 June 2012

Introduction
THE AGRI & AQUA CULTURING NEWSLETTER is prepared with the intention to provide the reader with information about the agriculture and aquaculture industry in Malaysia, while gathering insights and information on industry development and practices, as well as training opportunities offered by the Government and Private sector. The Newsletter seeks to gather like-minded individuals who are willing to share ideas and experiences in the field.

FROM THE CULTIVATORS COUCH:

So, the Bioeconomy Initiative Malaysia Lab Session has ended. What that means is that many new opportunities have just become available for the bio-industry, which includes agriculture. If the list of 42 projects released by Agensi Innovasi Malaysia (AIM) is anything to go by, there really are huge areas of opportunity for the agriculture and aquaculture community to tap into! Stay tuned for next few newsletters, as we delve further into opportunities in the agriculture and aquaculture industries!

CONTENT OF THE JUNE 2012 ISSUE:

The Importance of Soil pH by KW Beh Sugar Cane Planting by Johnny Lak My Little Farm 7 by Raymond My Diarrhea Cure by Rice Water
by Senny Ong

2 3 4
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Aquaculture Part 6 by MJ Joel Upcoming Events

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If you have itchy fingers for writing articles about Agriculture or Aquaculture, and wish to contribute your knowledge and experiences, please contact us:

Email: agrinaquanewsletter@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Reasonable care have been utilised in the preparation of the content and text of the Agri & Aqua Culturing Newsletter (henceforth referred as the Newsletter). Notwithstanding this, due to constant changes and advancement in the agriculture and aquaculture industries, we are not able to ensure the accuracy or reliability of the information provided in the Newsletter. For this reason, the reader is advised to undertake necessary due diligence on the information before relying on the same for any purpose whatsoever. The publisher, key contributors, and related associates disclaim any and all liability whatsoever and howsoever occasioned relating to the information provided in and content of, the Newsletter. We do not endorse any opinion, advice or statement published in the Newsletter Permissions and reprints: All rights reserved. Reproduction without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. To request permission to republish in any form whatsoever, please contact: agrinaquanewsletter@gmail.com

Issue 8 June 2012

The Importance of Soil pH

The soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity in soils. pH is defined as the negative logarithm (base 10) of the activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH below 7 is acidic and above 7 is basic. Soil pH is considered a master variable in soils as it controls many chemical processes that take place. It specifically affects plant nutrient availability by controlling the chemical forms of the nutrient. The optimum pH range for most plants is between 6 and 7.5, however many plants have adapted to thrive at pH values outside this range. Nutrients and Their Classification Nutrients needed in large amounts by plants are referred to as macronutrients and include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S). Elements that plants need in trace amounts are called trace nutrients or micronutrients. Trace nutrients are not major components of plant tissue but are essential for growth. They include iron, (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), and boron (Bo). Both macronutrient and micronutrient availability are affected by soil pH. In slightly to moderately alkaline soils, molybdenum and macronutrient (except for phosphorus) availability is increased, but P, Fe, Mn, Zn Cu, and Co levels are reduced and may adversely affect plant growth. In acidic soils, micronutrient availability (except for Mo and Bo) is increased. Nitrogen is supplied as ammonium (NH4) or nitrate (NO3) in fertilizer amendments, and dissolved N will have the highest concentrations in soil with pH 6-8. Concentrations of available N are less sensitive to pH than concentration of available P. In order for P to be available for plants, soil pH needs to be in the range 6.0 and 7.5. If pH is lower than 6, P starts forming insoluble compounds with iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) and if pH is higher than 7.5 P starts forming insoluble compounds with calcium (Ca). Most nutrient deficiencies can be avoided between a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5, provided that soil minerals and organic matter contain the essential nutrients to begin with. Nutrient availability in relation to soil pH

Article by KW Beh

Issue 8 June 2012

Sugar Cane Planting

In this article I will be talking about the Sugar Cane planting and where in Negeri Sembilan is it planted. Area Size of Land (ha) 7.8 36.62 6 5.8 17.8 4 78.02 Total Output (RM) 527,900 1,182,948 37,540 126,100 418,740 90,954 2,384,182 Average per ha 67,679 32,303 6,257 21,741 23,525 22,739 174,244 4. Maturing by 210-270 days Sugar cane grows well in tropical & sub-tropical regions. Rainfall of between 1,100 1,500mm per year is needed. Its grows well in weather of 21 34 C and it loves a lot of sunlights. Open area are the best for them. Planting distance recommended is 2m x 1m. 2m between rows and 1m between plants. While the planting size hole is 45cm (L) x 45cm (W) x 30cm (Depth). With 5000 holes per hectare. Fertilizer requirements are as follows :1) Liming 5 tonne per hectare 2) Basic Fertilization (This is to be done 7-10 days BEFORE planting) Organic Matter Fertilizer 5 tons per hectare Phosphate (TSP) 1 tons per hectare (200gm / hole) 1) Day 30 Urea @ 20gm per (100kg/ha) 2) Day 60 12:12:17:TE @ 25gm per (125kg/ha) 3) Day 90 12:12:17:TE @ 25gm per (125kg/ha) 4) Day 120 12:12:17:TE @ 25gm per (125kg/ha) hole hole hole hole

Seremban Jelebu Rembau Port Dickson Kuala Pilah Jempol Total

Sugar cane scientifically called Saccharum officinarum is the worlds largest crop. This crop is estimated to be planted on about 23.8 million hectares in more than 90 countries harvest amounting to 1.69 billion tons. The major producers are Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico. Sugar cane is planted using nodes taken from the mother plant. Sugar Cane that are extracted for their sugar properties are NCo 310, F156, Q172 & Ragnar. While those for juicing are Tebu Kuning & Tebu Telur Tebu Kuning had segments that are long and big while the Tebu Telur their segments are short. It is estimated that to get 1.5L of Sugar Cane juice from Tebu Telur you need 5kg of it. There are 4 phases in sugar cane planting. 1. Sprouting from the nodes which will take 7-10 days and forming individual stalks takes place in 30-35 days. 2. Formation of Shoots will take place 40120 days 3. Growth of the sugar cane will take place from 120-210 days

Harvesting is done 8-9 months later after planting and you can expect to harvest 3 times within 2 years. The first harvest will get you about 30,000 stalks, while the second harvest will be 25,000 stalks and the last harvest will be 20,000 stalks. Happy Farming.and my next month harvest will be DURIAN SEASON..

Article by Johnny Lak

Issue 8 June 2012

My Little Farm 7
Lets take a break from plants and share with you a Pressure Pump that we had just bought. Its a petrol engine driven piston pump. The engine side is basically a 4 stroke 5.5 hp petrol engine with pull start. The engine drives the pump via belt. Pump side is crankcase pushing 3 pistons. The manifold connects to a pressure gauge, pressure regulator and a pressure stabilizer tank. We are still thinking of ways to maximize the potential of this pump like more uses, and reducing operating cost. The mixing concentration has to be re-adjusted. We are trying not to shift the spraying station as to save on residue herbicide. We may try to add a mobile liquid tank to the light truck. The frame was the first to give way, during transportation on rough tracks. A little welding and it is stronger now. GPS Use for locating your land, boundaries marker and getting the attitude of your location. I have an economy set that serves this purpose. With the coordinates, we can super impose it on google map and even check out the surrounding area. I find this gadget to be very useful when checking out new potential land. At times when you go back to the same spot, its overgrown with shrubs. Do take note that sometimes, the GPS dont work, especially in a deep ravine or heavy forest. It cannot capture the signal and give you false reading. A useful program is track log, activate it on the way in, and its navigate you on the way out. No more getting lost, even at night. Camera My favorite most used gadget. I use a compact pocket camera that I carry with me daily. I choose a compact type for ease of carrying. This is my second set as the previous one broke down, most probably due to the dust and moisture. I use the camera to document my farms progress. I take lots of pictures to seek for advice. All these pictures, I transfer and store in my computer.

We are playing with it and found it to be useful. We had tried it on herbicide, fertilizer, pumping water and even high pressure car wash.

Issue 8 June 2012

Mobile Phone Ah, something we cant do without. Do make sure its fully charged. For farm use, we need one that is robust. Dirt, soil, moisture do pose a lot of challenge. For remote farm, the blind spot shall be ravines or out of coverage areas. When surveying new place, do keep someone close informed as it may not be in a signal covered area. Truck One thing I love about this is that we get to drive 4X4 most of the time. Our truck is a Toyota Hilux 4X4. I belief its an 80s model and it rides on leaf springs front & rear. This makes it very suitable for hardcore off road. This is one of the very reliable truck. Our operation take us through tracks that are at times not accessible. Steep incline, steep side angle, makes me feel that it may topple over. There is just a couple of shallow stream on the way to our farm, so no deep water crossing experience.

Article by Raymond

Issue 8 June 2012

My Diarrhea Cure by Rice Water

I am here to share my own experienced of diarrhea. This evening I got serious diarrhea, firstly I guess it must be my digestive tract problem or due to excessive consumption of coffee with empty stomach for the whole day. After I recalled back what I had taken this morning. Discovered that is the contaminated food I took this morning in one coffee shop. The sharp pain of my stomach really killing me, it comes every 20 minutes so to find out whats the cause of my diarrhea, I have watery bowel movements every 10 minutes. Alternatively I am trying to stop the diarrhea by home remedies by self-healing method. Partly it is in the middle of the night. if really worst then I decide to search doctor consultation later. But then to hold on my pain and quickly searching for the home remedies from my kitchen, because I dare not try any herbs due to empty stomach. Then I remember I received one email from a friend long time ago. There is one home remedies by Taking rice water to stop the diarrhea. This simple recipe is quite easy to prepare. I quickly take a cup of brown rice and boil with 6 cups of water for 15 minutes, add a little bit of salt. Pour off the rice water only. Let it cool. This is what I had taken in the picture.

Immediately after I took 2 cups of rice water and surprisingly my diarrhea stop within an hour and less pain. Well, this is a real experience I had gone through with rice water home remedy, what I am trying to share with you all is Rice water for curing diarrhea" really ....really works wonders to me. After all I keep taking more rice water or rice porridge to replace back the fluid for my body. Note: Diarrhea can be dangerous as it can cause loss of fluid and dehydration. If your diarrheas still cannot cure or serious diarrhea, please try to consult your doctor instead of using home remedies if serious.

Article by Senny Ong http://sennyong.blogspot.com

Disclaimer: Most important is to understand what is right for your health condition, although herbs are safe for some people, if you wish to try it is advisable for you to consult with your holistic health practitioner or doctor first. No matter what type of healing herbs or alternative healing method, we still have to be careful in consumption, start off slowly and minimize it to prevent overdoses with it.

Issue 8 June 2012

Aquaculture Part 6: Marine Fish for Pond Culture

Last month we covered freshwater fish species for pond culture. The following is specific information on some of the more popular marine pond fish species. Do note that marine pond culture means just that: marine species being cultured in earthen ponds, and not cages or pens. MULLET ASIAN SEABASS

There are more than 80 species of mullet in the world, which are commonly found in coastal temperate and tropical waters. Some species even occur in freshwater. Mullets regularly feed on detritus and zooplankton, and are considered a sustainable fish for farming. The most commonly found species in Asia are the striped mullet, flathead mullet, and grey mullet. The whole egg-sacs from these fish are commonly preserved in Taiwan through sun-drying and sold worldwide as a popular appetizer and beer snack. Mullet can grow to huge sizes, ranging between 30cm to above 1.2m in length, and up to 4kg in weight. They have good flesh, and are a popular food fish wherever they occur.

Also known as barramundi in Australia and sea perch elsewhere, the Asian seabass is one of the most popular and affordable marine food fish around. It is also one of the most common pond cultured marine fish species, with Southeast Asia and Australia being the top producers of the fish. Asian seabass, like many brackish water fish species, are capable of being adapted to freshwater ponds and intensive cultures, making this species a very ideal aquaculture species. Domesticated forms can be easily raised on pelleted feed. GROUPERS

One of the most popular food fish in Asia, groupers are one of the most prized aquaculture species. However, most groupers have very strict water parameter requirements, and need highly oxygenated water.

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Hence, most grouper cultures take place on floating rafts in pristine coastal waters, where water exchange is very high. Of all the groupers cultured, the humpback grouper stands out the most, due to its tolerance towards water parameters and culture requirements. Indeed, humpback groupers, also known as panther groupers, are regularly caught near estuaries and river mouths by anglers. The humpback grouper is also known for it very fast growth rate, easily reaching market sizes within 8-12 months, compared to 16-18 months experienced with most other grouper species. MANGROVE SNAPPER

PANAEID SHRIMPS

Mangrove snappers are another popular food fish that is regularly culture in earthen ponds. Although a brackish water fish, mangrove snappers cannot live in pure freshwater for long periods at a time. Typically, a greyish-red with bronze to olive green sheen on its back, the mangrove snapper is one of the most appealing looking pond cultured fish. However, extreme care needs to be taken when handling this fish, as it has formidable fangs capable of inflicting serious wounds. Most mangrove snappers are farmed to around 700g in weights, although they can typically grow to 3kg or more in ponds. In the wild, mangrove snappers have been found to weight up to 13kg or more. Although a very good tasting and marketable fish, mangrove snappers are very slow growers, putting on as little as a few hundred grams a year. It often takes 18-24 months of on-growing before the fish reaches marketable weights.

Panaeid shrimps are the worlds most cultured and harvested family of marine shrimps. Many economically important species of shrimp fall under the panaeid shrimp family, including tiger prawns, white shrimp, banana prawns, Kuruma shrimps, pink shrimp, brown shrimp, etc. Asia is the worlds largest producer of marine shrimp, and demand continues to rise despite challenging economic conditions worldwide. Prices for panaeid shrimps have also been increasing in tandem, in part due to the repercussions of diseases such as white spot impacting shrimp farms in Asia. Nonetheless, with proper aquaculture practices, marine shrimp farming can become a sustainable and highly profitable business. Potential new aquaculture species Craving for something different? Consider the following species as a potential aquaculture species: BLOWFISH Wait a minute Blowfish?! Arent they deadly??? Well, yes and no. Most blowfish (also known as pufferfish) are poisonous, but some are perfectly fine for eating. That saying, dont go out buying pufferfish for dinner tonight, expecting all to be well. Only a very few species of pufferfish can be eaten without much worry. One of them is the Long Island (US) blowfish, as seen in the picture below.

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Residents on Long Island have been including blowfish tails in their daily diet for many generations, simply because they are so abundant. Those who do consume blowfish tails comment that it taste somewhat like two jumbo shrimps fused onto a piece of bone. What blowfish tails look like:

Blowfish, while alive:

A CLOSING NOTE ON MARINE FISH With the exception of the blowfish, all these fish are heavily cultured in fish ponds around the world. However, as stated before, they are not the only fish which can be grown in ponds. In every area there are a number of fish in natural waters that could be grown in fish ponds. So it might be a good idea to work around whats available. Or better still, engage your local Department of Fisheries for the best results. (Ctrl+Click on photo to reach original document)

Article by MJ Joel

Issue 8 June 2012

Upcoming Event Event Title

3rd International Biotechnology and Biodiversity Conference and Exhibition (BIOJohor 2012) 13th Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair

Date

Venue

Website/E-mail

Persada Johor International 9-11 June Convention Center, Johor, 2012 Malaysia 12-14 June 2012 25-29 June 2012 10-12 July 2012 23-24 July 2012 Putra World Trade Center (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore

http://www.biojohor.my/2012/index.html

http://www.mifb.com.my/2012/home.ht ml

7th International Postharvest Symposium 2012 World Sustainable Agriculture Congress 2012 2nd International Conference on Asia Agriculture and Animal 2012

www.agromedia.margi.gov.my/event/post harvest2012/ http://www.imapac.com/index.php?page= WorldSustainableAgricultureCongress2012

Singapore

http://www.icaaa.org/

15-16 Aquaculture Roundtable Series Aug. 2012 2012 1st Regional Conference on Agrobiodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, 2012 Agriculture Investment Summit Asia 2012 2nd ASEAN Sago Symposium 2012 BioMalaysia 2012 International Conference on Agricultural and Food Engineering 2012 25-27 Sept. 2012

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Thailand

http://www.tarsaquaculture.com/

Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

http://rac1.mardi.gov.my/index.php/home /objectives

16-18 Singapore Oct. 2012 29-31 Kuching, Sarawak, Oct. 2012 Malaysia 5-7 Nov. 2012 26-29 Nov. 2012 KL Convention Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/ag riculture-investment-summit-asia/ http://sagosym2012.blogspot.com/

http://www.biomalaysia.com.my/2012/

http://www.eng.upm.edu.my/cafei2012/

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Issue 8 June 2012

Meet Our Team!

Johnny Lak
Businessman. Innovator. Activist. But not necessarily in that order. Keen entrepreneurial skills, and a great passion towards agriculture and knowledge. Operates farms in Pajam and Mantin.

Mr Farmer @ Raymond
Agriculture entrepreneur and passionate about living life with a sense of purpose, our friend owns a farm in Keningau over at the Land Beneath the Wind, Sabah.

KW Beh
Fertility, fertility, fertility. Thats what our UPM Grad constantly has on his mind while working for Twin Arrows Fertilizer. Want to improve crop production? Look him up for the solutions!

Senny Ong
Our resident Chinese Herbal Specialist with a passion for the bitter stuff. Enjoys helping people seek a healthier path in everyday life. Now say with her: Bitter herbs are our friends

MJ Joel
What do you get when you cross a potato with corn? Thats the sort of questions this bookworm and plant breeder seeks to answer. And its definitely not what you think it is, dirty fellow!

Contact Point: For more details about what we do, please refer to the Lowyat Forum Thread: Venturing into Agriculture& Aquaculture For further information or clarification please contact us at agrinaquanewsletter@gmail.com

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