https://jopr.mpob.gov.my Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:37:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/calcium-nutritional-effects-on-suppression-of-basal-stem-rot-bsr-disease-in-oil-palm-seedlings-in-nursery-and-field-trials/ Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:37:23 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=15032 The oil palm industry is significantly affected by basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense. Nutrients are frequently used in soil fertilisers to protect plants from various stresses. Manipulating plant nutrients, particularly calcium (Ca), offers a promising strategy to prevent BSR disease in oil palm. This study evaluates the effect of Ca-based formulations on the suppression of G. boninense infection in oil palm seedlings using the root-sitting technique in three-month old oil palm seedlings. The study was further conducted in the field to test the disease incidence of BSR using the seedling baiting technique. Oil palm seedlings were pre-treated with fertiliser containing 1,000 ppm Ca as CaSO₄. They were then exposed to G. boninense PER 17 using two methods; in a 12-month nursery trial, colonised rubber woodblocks were attached with seedling roots to simulate infection, while in a 21-month field trial, seedlings were planted in soil naturally infested with the fungus to test real-world conditions. In both trials, fertiliser with 1,000 ppm Ca reduced BSR incidence by 53% in the nursery and 81% in the field. This suggests Ca supplementation as an effective alternative for preventing BSR in oil palm plantations.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/applications-of-organic-fungicides-endophytic-bacteria-biofungicides-and-biostimulants-in-curative-control-of-iganodermai/ Fri, 02 Feb 2024 01:51:12 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=13288 Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense is a major oil palm (OP) disease. However, the effective treatment that is practicable in the field as a recommendation remains elusive. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the combinations that consisted of organic fungicide (OF), biofungicide (BF), endophytic bacteria (EN), and biostimulant (BS) applied to 20-year old (TM 20) and 14-year old (TM 14) OP with a mild, moderate, and severe level of infection. Results revealed that TM 20 palm recovery response is slower for all infection levels. The effective treatments for mild infection of TM 20 were BF, EN, and BS, meanwhile, for moderate infection, the treatments included OF, BF, EN, and BS. The effective treatment for both mild and moderate infections for TM 14 was the treatment which comprises BF, EN, and BS. It seems that there is no need for BS in this mature palm for both mild and moderate Ganoderma sp. infection since it has rapid recovery. However, the most effective treatment for severe Ganoderma infection in both OP groups was a complete treatment consisting of OF, BF, EN, and BS. We found that severe BSR symptoms could be reduced by providing the complete treatment several times, both holistically and progressively.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/antifungal-volatile-organic-compounds-voc-from-a-strain-of-ifusarium-foetensi-against-iganoderma-boninensei/ Wed, 27 Dec 2023 02:24:32 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=13244 Basal Stem Rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense poses a threat to the sustainability of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), a valuable export commodity in Southeast Asia. This study focuses on evaluating the potential of an indigenous strain of Fusarium, as a biocontrol agent for BSR. The research involves chemical characterisation and laboratory testing. Molecular identification confirmed the isolate as Fusarium foetens, an unconventional biocontrol agent that showed promising results in experimental settings. In the disc vapour assay, discs containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) effectively inhibited the growth of G. boninense by up to 60%. Analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imagery suggested that the inhibition might be attributed to cell wall damage and internal disruption caused by the VOCs. Four major VOCs were identified and ranked based on their relative peak area (%), including 2,3-Pyrazinedicarboximide (15.54%), 2-(2-Butoxyethoxy) ethyl thiocyanate (11.43%), 3,5-Dimethoxyphenol (11.40%), and Indolylmethylthiohydroximate (5.56%), with other minor compounds accounting for less than 5.00%. Docking simulations using PyRx software were performed to analyse the binding affinity between selected VOCs and the virulent protein, xyloglucan-specific endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (XEG). Interestingly, two compounds, 2,3-Pyrazinedicarboximide and indolylmethylthiohydroximate, had exhibited binding affinities similar to that of hexaconazole, a standard antifungal agent used in BSR management.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/insect-community-associated-with-iganodermai-basidiocarps-in-oil-palm-plantations-of-sabah/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 01:41:21 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=13263 Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot (BSR) is currently one of the most important diseases in oil palm. The disease transmission is predominantly through root-to-root contact in soil. However, the role of Ganoderma basidiospores remains ambiguous in the transmission process despite millions being produced during active phase of fungus. Five plantations in Sabah with varying incidences of Ganoderma BSR (6.0% – 9.8%) were selected for the study. A total of 543 basidiocarps were collected and assessed. At least 55 arthropods were associated with Ganoderma basidiocarps. Among these arthropods, 8 species were found carrying the basidiospores internally or externally. Handsome fungus beetles, Eumorphus spp. were found to be strongly associated as vector of Ganoderma disease, but this requires further investigation. This study could potentially provide an insight on the sporadic spread of BSR which was not conceivable via root-to-root contact.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/development-of-qpcr-primer-for-ganoderma-boninense-detection-in-soil/ Wed, 28 Aug 2024 04:51:04 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=13616 Quantitation of pathogenic Ganoderma species presence in oil palm plantation soil is crucial for basal stem rot (BSR) disease management where implemented disease control practices could be validated. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been widely applied in quantification of various pathogens in soil and plant tissues due to its high sensitivity. In this study, primers designed based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were utilised for detection of pathogenic Ganoderma species. Its specificity and detection efficiency were tested using Ganoderma inoculated and non-inoculated soil samples. As for qPCR applications, primer IGbF-R was proven to be specific to Ganoderma boninense, and capable of amplifying its synonyms (G. orbiforme and G. miniatocinctum) in Ganoderma inoculated soil.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/championing-sustainable-treatment-of-oil-palm-basal-stem-rot-disease-via-biological-control-agents/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:07:47 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=2029 Oil palm is the most important commodity crop for Malaysia and Indonesia. However, it is being threatened by a disease identified as basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma spp. Common approaches such as chemical and cultural control have failed to demonstrate total effectiveness in controlling BSR disease. Nevertheless, these practices cause detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, the attention on adopting biological control agents (BCA) as one of the sustainable methods to eradicate and control BSR disease is on the rise. The current review highlights on the attempts and outcome of applying various BCA such as fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes as single or mixed application to control BSR disease in oil palm.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/correlation-between-non-ribosomal-peptide-synthetase-nrps-production-and-virulence-of-ganoderma-boninense-per71-on-oil-palm-elaeis-guineensis/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:07:50 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9504 Basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by the white rot fungus Ganoderma boninense is the most destructive oil palm disease leading to production losses in fresh fruit bunches. Non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) plays an important role in fungal pathogenicity. These large multi-modular enzymes catalyse the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites that act as fungal virulence factors. In this study, the detection of NRPS in G. boninense was achieved using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. Core motifs of adenylation domain of NRPS gene was identified in G. boninense. The deduced amino acid sequence showed similarity to the conserved core motifs (A2, A3 and A5) of the adenylation domain. Siderophores were predicted as the potential secondary metabolites synthesised by NRPS. Expression analysis of GbNRPS in 3-month-old oil palm artificially infected with G. boninense has confirmed the upregulation of GbNRPS at 1 month after inoculation (MAI) peaking at 4 MAI in susceptible clone but not in tolerant clone. There was a correlation between GbNRPS gene expression and disease severity. Susceptible clones showed significantly higher disease severity index (DSI) (62.50%) compared to tolerant clones (28.13%) at 4 MAI. This is the first putative detection of adenylation domain of NRPS (GbNRPS) gene and functional analysis of NRPS as a virulence factor in disease development.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/early-detection-of-ganoderma-causing-basal-stem-rot-disease-in-coconut-plantations/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:29:19 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9286 Basal stem rot disease of coconut caused by Ganoderma lucidum (Leys) Karst is prevalent throughout the world, causing significant damage and losses to coconut plantations. The pathogen is soil-borne in nature. For early diagnosis, different techniques viz., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, dot immunobinding assay and polymerase chain reaction have been used in modern era of plant pathology. In this study, we have tried ELISA and DIBA using the monospecific antibodies raised against a distinct common protein with a molecular weight of 62 kDa. The protein was observed in all the isolates of Ganoderma collected throughout Tamil Nadu, India, by the sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis and variations in the protein patterns were found between Ganoderma isolates. The polyclonal antisera were developed against the purified single protein of Ganoderma. The presence of the 62 kDa protein in the crude mycelial extract was confirmed by western blot analysis. Using the antisera, the pathogen was detected by Indirect ELISA and dot immuno binding assay (DIBA) which resulted in positive reactions for infected samples and negative reactions for apparently healthy palms. These serological techniques gave better results in early diagnosis of field samples, and it could be adopted for large-scale application.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/efficacy-of-single-and-mixed-treatments-of-trichoderma-harzianum-as-biocontrol-agents-of-ganoderma-basal-stem-rot-in-oil-palm/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:22:01 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9240 Two Trichoderma harzianum strains (FA 1132 and FA1166) were tested as biocontrol agents for basal stem rot in oil palm seedlings artificially infected with the causal pathogen, Ganoderma boninense. The treatment was carried out by applying a Trichoderma-infused surface mulch and periodic applications of a conidial soil drech made from spore suspensions of the respective Trichoderma strains. A disease severity index (DSI) ranging from 0 to 100 was used to assess the disease severity. A single strain application of T. harzianum, FA 1132 gave the best disease suppression with the lowest DSI of 28.35 compared to the infected, non-treated control plants that gave the highest DSI of 86.67. However, FA 1166 as a single application was ineffective, so was the mixture of the two strains. The biological control property of Trichoderma was shown to be strain-specific and not species-specific. In addition, it was found that applying the mixed inocula significantly decresed the performance of FA 1132, the choice strain.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/characterization-of-parameters-for-the-development-of-an-early-screening-test-for-basal-stem-rot-tolerence-in-oil-palm-progenies/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:14:19 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9196 Basal stem rot (BSR) of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is caused by Ganoderma boninense, and is one of the most commercially devastating diseases in Southeast Asia. So far, cultural practices, combined to some extent with biological control, have been considered as the best approach for controlling the disease. However, in recent years, sources of genetic resistance and susceptibility have been identified in field trials, leading to the consideration of a genetic approach as an integrated component in controlling the disease. To develop this approach, an early screening test at the nursery or pre-nursery stage is needed, based on artificial inoculation and correlated with field observations. The success of nursery seedling artificial inoculation relies on a set of parameters such as defining the inoculum potential like the aggressiveness of G. boninenseisolates, the incubation period of pre-infected rubberwood blocks (RWB), the ratio between the size of pre-infected RWBs and the volume of soil for infection, and the quality of nursery or pre-nursery shade as pre-disposing factors. When this set of parameters was optimized, disease symptoms were observed three months after the inoculation of germinated seeds. This avoided the transfer of seedlings from the pre-nursery to the main nursery, minimized transplanting shock and root damage, and also reduced the time taken for the screening test and the nursery area required. This early inoculation enabled the discrimination of isolates according to their aggressiveness, expressed by the quantification of external and internal disease symptoms and by using a standardized scoring scale. Development of this method will lead to the selection of isolates to be used in screening for resistance or tolerance to BSR. Preliminary results seemed to show that it was possible to distinguish the degree of susceptibility of progenies inoculated artificially at the germinated seed stage or when transferred to polybags. A good correlation was obtained between those two stages, suggesting that the level of resistance was conserved irrespective of the physiological stage used for screening in the nursery. However, it is important to bear in mind that these results need to be confirmed and correlated with field observations under natural infection conditions.

]]>