https://jopr.mpob.gov.my Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:50:46 +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/antifungal-activity-of-ethanolic-extract-from-indigenous-bacterium-bacillus-subtilis-strain-mn704394-1-culture-containing-eicosane-and-ethyl-stearate-against-ganoderma-boninense/ Fri, 20 Dec 2024 10:25:09 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=13982 Ganoderma boninense is a fungal pathogen responsible for causing basal stem rot disease in oil palm. This study focuses on exploring the biocontrol potential of indigenous bacterium by detecting several bioactive compounds capable of inhibiting the growth of G. boninense. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis proved that the bacterium was Bacillus subtilis strain MN704394.1. The ethanolic extracts of bacterium culture supernatant, spanning 8 to 24 hr, were collected and tested on their inhibitory effects against G. boninense using simultaneous, preventive, and curative methods. The one obtained at the 8th hour using the preventive method demonstrated the highest inhibition percentage at 96.44%. By using GC-MS analysis, three compounds were consistently detected at all time points, which are eicosane, ethyl stearate and methyl palmitate. Eicosane and ethyl stearate were identified as bioactive compounds. Specifically, at the 8th hr, eicosane constituted 68.7467% of the total area, while ethyl stearate accounted for 10.3018%. Eicosane, a straight-chain alkane consisting of 20 carbon atoms, exhibited antifungal activity. Ethyl stearate, belonging to the group of fatty acid esters, demonstrates significant inhibitory activity against G. boninense. The potential of these two compounds is substantial, with prospects for further development, particularly in controlling G. boninense.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/in-planta-efficacy-of-local-trichoderma-isolates-and-selected-commercial-biological-agents-against-ganoderma-boninense-in-oil-palm/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:00:16 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=14135 Trichoderma species are well-known biological control agents with significant antagonistic activity against various fungal phytopathogens. This study evaluated the in planta efficacy of local Trichoderma isolates (Trichoderma virens and Trichoderma asperellum) in comparison to commercial biological control agent (BCA) products in controlling Ganoderma disease in oil palm seedlings. The local Trichoderma isolates were applied either singly or as a mixture to the soils of both transplanted and Ganoderma-inoculated oil palm seedlings. Additionally, two commercial BCA products were tested as benchmarks, with a negative and a positive control. It was found that the local Trichoderma isolate, either applied singly or as a mixture, could reduce disease by 41.82%-57.73%, and be on par with the commercial BCA products. Untreated positive control showed a significant loss in physiological integrity, in terms of chlorophyll content, plant height, bole diameter, and the number of fronds, due to the G. boninense infection, meanwhile, the treated seedlings with local Trichoderma isolates and commercial BCAs were able to resist the infection significantly to a certain degree. These isolates are promising BCAs for the future management of G. boninense in oil palm.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/gc-q-tof-ms-based-metabolomics-unveiling-the-temporal-metabolic-pathways-in-ganoderma-boninense-using-pathway-analysis-tools/ Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:30:46 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=14218 Metabolomics research aims to uncover the complex biochemical pathways involved in biological processes, but the interpretation of metabolites, which play diverse roles within biological systems, remains a significant challenge. In this study, we utilised pathway analysis modules, such as Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Mapper and MetaboAnalyst to facilitate the visualisation and interpretation of Ganoderma boninense metabolomics data, derived from the gas chromatography/quadrupole-timeof- flight (GC/Q-TOF) mass spectrometry-based experiments. Our analysis revealed a time-dependent classification of 39 identified extracellular metabolites from the methanolic extract of G. boninense, where several metabolic pathways, i.e. starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation and citrate (TCA) cycles were found significantly enriched in G. boninense. The integration of pathway analysis tools enabled enhanced biological interpretation, contributing to a deeper understanding of temporal primary metabolic pathways linked to the G. boninense developmental process, energy production and cellular functions over time. These findings underscore the importance of the pathway analysis tools in metabolomics, helping to reveal the biological insights which are hidden within the complex metabolite profiles and thus advancing our understanding of the G. boninense developmental process in vitro.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/a-field-evaluation-on-fungicides-application-to-control-upper-stem-rot-usr-disease-in-oil-palm-caused-by-iganodermai-spp/ Wed, 06 Jul 2022 02:43:36 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=12420 Ganoderma spp. causes basal stem rot (BSR) and upper stem rot (USR) diseases in oil palm. In recent years, there has been an increasing report of USR disease in oil palm, which prompted investigation on fungicides application. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of fungicides to control USR-infected palms. The study was conducted on standing oil palm, selected based on the disease severity index (DSI) in the categories of DSI 1 (early infection) and DSI 2 (moderate infection). Two trials were conducted at two different locations in Sarawak (Miri and Sessang), Malaysia. The fungicides, hexaconazole (4.5 g a.i – 90 mL) and tetraconazole (7.5 g a.i. – 60 mL) were dissolved in 3 L of water; applied using a trunk injector three times at six months interval and followed up with disease assessments conducted at six-monthly intervals. The investigation found that more palms succumbed to USR infection in the control treatment than in the treated USR-infected palms. After 60-months post-treatment, the USR-infected palms treated with hexaconazole gave a lower percentage of dead palms at 33.33% (Miri) and 50.00% (Sessang) compared with USR-infected palms treated with tetraconazole at 66.70% (Miri) and 100.00% (Sessang) and untreated USR-infected palms at 100.00%. The hexaconazole-treated USR-infected palms continued surviving and actively producing fruit bunches. In conclusion, hexaconazole was found to be more effective than tetraconazole. It gave a higher survival rate by ceasing the progress of disease development, resulting in lengthening the productive lifespan of USR-infected palms.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/cell-wall-glycolipids-profiling-of-oil-palm-roots-during-iganoderma-boninensei-infection-using-gas-chromatographymass-spectrometry/ Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:24:27 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=12206 Better understanding of the cell wall (CW)-glycolipids changes associated with basal stem rot (BSR) disease is essential for identifying the pathogen-host interaction to improve management and diagnostic measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the CW changes in the glycolipids profile of oil palm roots during G. boninense infection. We carried out lipidomic analysis of glycolipids fractionated from CW-lipids of oil palm seedlings artificially infected (AI) with G. boninense. Oil palm roots were harvested at three (first interval) and six months (second interval) post-AI from infected and control (uninfected) seedlings and were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based global lipidomic analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) confirmed 11 impaired glycolipids (six in the first and five in the second interval) associated to cell-signalling and break down of energy. Pyruvate metabolism and glycolysis or gluconeogenesis are the most perturbed pathways during the pathogenesis as revealed by pathway impact analysis. The possible utilisation of the glycolipids as biomarkers for diagnostic of Ganoderma infection was authenticated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The current research suggests five glycolipids [Phosphatidylcholine (PC)(6:0/0:0), PC(2:0/2:0), Phosphatidic Acid (PA)(18:4(6Z,(Z,12Z,15Z)/0:0), PA(14:0/ 0:0) and γ-linolenic acid] as the potential biomarkers which may be further investigated for the early detection of BSR.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/antifungal-and-antioxidant-peptides-from-oil-palm-mesocarps/ Fri, 28 Jan 2022 09:11:26 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=12171 Phytochemicals and bioactive peptides have been discovered in oil palm organs such as kernel and leaf, but there is no documented study in isolating peptides with bioactivities from fruit mesocarps. In this work, we aimed to determine the bioactivity of the peptides derived from hydrolysis of oil palm fruit mesocarps. The fruit mesocarps were subjected to enzyme hydrolysis using trypsin and pepsin, followed by separation of these peptides through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and database searching.Analysis of bioactivity from 25% and 30% fractions (trypsinised), and 10% and 30% fractions (pepsinised) showed inhibitory effect towards the growth of Ganoderma boninense. In antioxidant assay, only nonfractionated protein hydrolysate with trypsin and pepsin showed a scavenging activity of 17.7%-22.3%for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. We further determined the possible occurrence of antimicrobial activityin silico by matching the experimental peptide sequences to known bioactive peptides. Four antimicrobialpeptides were found in fractionated mesocarp hydrolysates using trypsin and pepsin. These bioactive peptides had molecular masses of less than 4-5 kiloDalton (kDa) and made of 11-39 amino acid residues. A total of23%-54% hydrophobic amino acids were found within these sequences. The results showed that the oil palm mesocarps contained peptides with various bioactivities that could be bioprospected into functional constituents with health and crop protection benefits.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/phytol-containing-seaweed-extracts-as-control-for-ganoderma-boninense/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 01:33:46 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=11538 Basal stem rot (BSR) is a disease in oil palm caused by a fungal pathogen, Ganoderma boninense. Utilisation of seaweeds as a control agent has not been explored. This study investigated the anti-fungal potential of Malaysian seaweed extracts against G. boninense and identification of the compounds. Seaweeds cf Sargassum oligocystum, Caulerpa racemosa, Caulerpa racemosa var. lamouroxii and cfHalimeda macrophysa were collected and subjected to crude extraction with various solvents. Methanolic extracts of all species displayed the highest yield with an average of 15.25% compared to dry weight. Anti-fungal assays were carried out against G. boninense using the poisoned food technique and three highest inhibitions were exhibited by C. racemosa var. lamouroxii dichloromethane extract (46.82%), cf H. macrophysa dichloromethane extract (33.49%) and C. racemosa methanol extract (28.06%). Dominant compounds detected via gas chromatography-mass chromatography (GC-MS) in extracts with anti fungal potential includes phytol. Anti-fungal assay using standard phytol showed growth inhibition of G. boninense of up to 21% inhibition. Caulerpa racemosa var. lamouroxii, cf H. macrophysa, C. racemosa and cf S. oligocystum dichloromethane extracts contain 474 117, 106 and 19 mg litre-1 of phytol respectively. These findings suggested that Malaysian seaweeds are a good source of anti-fungal compounds for utilisation in controlling the BSR disease of oil palm in Malaysia.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/cdna-ssr-markers-for-molecular-epidemiology-of-ganoderma-boninense/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 01:33:46 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/?p=11540 Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense is the most devastating and yield-limiting disease for the oil palm industry in South-east Asia. Information on the population biology of G. boninense for testing important hypotheses concerning BSR infection is lacking. This article describes the development of the most discerning molecular marker to date, i.e. cDNA-SSR, in an attempt to evaluate the genetic diversity and epidemiology of G. boninense. The Belitung Island in Indonesia was chosen for this study because it has BSR disease spread in first generation plantings of oil palm, and geographically not connected to the Sumatra main island. There are considerable field experiences alongside the indepth genetic analyses presented here. The basidiocarps of Ganoderma collected from BSR and upper stem rot (USR) infected oil palm were confirmed as G. boninense by phylogenetic analysis. The marker data inferred that the G. boninense isolates were very diverse, with heterozygosity of 0.777, reflecting random mating and the outcrossing nature of this fungus. Clonal spread was not found in the present study and isolates were genetically different, from palm to palm. The hierarchical cluster analysis and distance-standardised principal coordinates analysis suggested G. boninense spread from the coastal region (north) to inland areas (south) on Belitung Island. Despite the very small sample size, the thorough analyses revealed major shortcomings and difficuties in developing a set of polymorphic cDNA-SSR markers for epidemiology of G. boninense.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/significance-of-the-black-line-within-oil-palm-tissue-decayed-by-ganoderma-boninense/ Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:01:54 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=944 A historical study was conducted on the black line found in stem tissue of oil palm infected with Ganoderma. The line was of fungal origin and formed by the action of a single mycelium. Deeply embedded within the line were masses of swollen hyphal cells which form resting structures. These structures might be critical for the prolonged survival of the pathogen within infected oil palm tissue buried in soil.

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