BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Water Use and Growth Efficiency of Nine Varieties of Hibiscus cannabinus (Kenaf)
Dr. Hazandy Abdul Hamid
Nor Aini Ab. Shukor, Arifin Abdu, Mohd. Basri Hamzah, Baharom Zainal and Mohd. Hazimy Yusoff
Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 2173; hazandy@gmail.com
Keywords: Kenaf, water use efficiency, growth efficiency, biomass, BRIS soil
Predict Location(s) of Apis dorsata Nesting Sites using Remote Sensing and
Geographic Information System in Melalaeuca Forest
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mahdzir Mardan
Mohammad Mehdi Saberioon, Laili Nordin, Alias Mohammad Sood and Asa Ggholizadeh
Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 4101; makhdzir@gmail.com
Keywords: Honeybee, Apis dorsata, honey, probiotic, lactic acid bacteria
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Agriculture
Attainment of targets for multiple production from plant-based products, Hibiscus cannabinus or well-known
as Kenaf was selected as one of the national crops to be planted nationwide. With the intimate collaboration
between INTROP and Lembaga Tembakau Negara (LTN), some preliminary investigations on upstream activities
were carried out especially those related to the reliability of Kenaf planted in Beach Ridges Interspersed with
Swales (BRIS) soils. Since BRIS area in Peninsular Malaysia covered an area of 162,000 ha, they should be
exploited despite being physically and chemically imperfect. One of the main problems of BRIS is soils related
to poor water holding capacity. Hence, ecophysiological study of Kenaf varieties was carried out involving
water use efficiency (WUE) and growth efficiency (EG) of nine varieties of Kenaf. This pilot study was done in
experimental plot, Taman Pertanian Universiti, UPM. The WUE and EG values were found significantly different
between varieties. The WUE values ranged from 90.1 mmol mol-1 (Q-Ping) to 201.6 mmol mol-1 (KK60) and the
EG values ranged from as low as 0.052 g cm-2 month-1 (V19) to 0.196 g cm-2 month-1 (Q-Ping). The contrasting
results obtained for Q-Ping variety have led to the derivation of regression analysis. The slope coefficient revealed
that WUE of Q-Ping variety estimated from plotting Amax against Gsmax was 0.219 and found higher than the
other varieties. The allocations of mass between aboveground and belowground were similar among varieties
except TK. Based on WUE and EG, these preliminary results showed that the early flowering varieties; Q-Ping
and KK60 are the most promising varieties to be planted in BRIS soil compared to the rest even though their
biomass production was slightly less compared to V132, V133 and V19. However, rigid conclusion on the
appropriate variety cannot be made so far. Sample size and study site need to be expanded.
The aim of this study was to isolate and identify novel potential probiotic Lactobacillus using culture method
and applies polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 16S rRNA gene. Seventeen Lactobacillus strains
were isolated from the fully honeycomb of honeybee Apis dorsata using selective media. The 16S rRNA genes
from extracted DNA of bacterial colonies were amplified with PCR using lactobacilli genus primers. All bacterial
16S rRNA genes were sequenced, alignment and the distant bacteria deposited in GenBank. The Lactobacillus
strains were identified as Lactobacillus sp. related-sequences (64.15%) with other abundant sequences being
related to Lactobacillus kunkeei (34.85%). However, it appears that Apis dorsata honeycombs could be a source
of new bacteria. These strains could be good candidates for potential application as probiotics in honeybee and
also as natural food preservatives, which also suggests their possible use in the food industry.