Groundwater in fractured metasedimentary rock in Malaysia is a potential source of water for drinking and industrial uses. Industries including agricultural processing, mineral water bottling, manufacturing and golf courses pumped the water from the underlying fractured rocks. Fifty eight tubewells belong to private companies operating in various places in West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia were evaluated for their yield and quality of water. Rotary percussion methods were used for the drilling to a maximum depth of 200 m. The productivity of the wells and the characteristics of the aquifer were evaluated by pumping test using both the constant discharge rate and steps drawdown methods. The average yield of the wells at allowable drawdown of 40 m was found to be 416 m3 per day. Results from water quality analysis indicated that the water was fresh with an average total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 101 to 150 mg/L. The hardness of the water varies from as low as 13 mg/L to a maximum of 353 mg/L. On the average, the water was moderately hard with the average hardness value of 80 mg/L. The water facies of the groundwater was found to be of calcium-sodium-bicarbonate water.
The effect of replacement of ricebran by mushroom stalk (Pleurotus florida), an agriculture waste on growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings was investigated for 42 days. Three isonitrogenous (32% crude protein) experimental diets containing 100% (Diet 1), 50% (Diet 2) and 0% (Diet 3) mushroom meal were formulated. Each diet was randomly allocated to triplicate groups of fingerlings in experimental tanks, with each tank stocking 12 fishes. The fishes were fed twice daily to apparent satiation for 6 weeks. Good survival rates were obtained from fish fed with Diet 1 (94%) and Diet 3 (94%). There was no significant differences in body weight gain (BWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) among all diets (p>0.05). The fish fed with Diet 1 showed the best BWG, SGR, FCR and PER compared with Diet 2 and Diet 3. An economic evaluation indicated that Diet 1 gave the lowest production cost at RM2.03/kg followed by Diet 2 and Diet 3 at RM2.18/kg and RM2.38/kg, respectively. This study showed that the best diet was Diet 1 with 100% replacement of rice bran with mushroom stalks costing RM2.03/kg, the cheapest among the three diets.
Rice fields are traditional landscape in Malaysia that sustains various species of birds .Waterbirds, raptors, Passeriformes and Columbiformes were observed and counted using point count method at rice fields in Bandar Baharu, Kedah from March 2009 to February 2010. The current status of birds in the rice fields of Malaysia has not been widely researched. The objective of this study was to document the bird species richness and diversity and temporal bird distribution during the annual rice growing cycle. There were 5120 birds representing 67 species belonging to 29 families being recorded. The diversity index (Shannon-Wiener) varied monthly between 2.154 and 3 .321 . The most abundant bird family observed was Ardeidae (29.09%), followed by Sturnidae ( 10.15%) and Hirundinidae (7.86%). Rice growing seasons involve three main stages; direct seedling/transplanting, growing and harvesting. Each stage attracts different bird species to exist in the rice field and surrounding areas. Statistical analysis showed the alternative hypothesis that states abundance of bird species is different monthly was accepted (F1124= 3.033, p< 0.05). Farming activities and rice growing seasons regularly influenced birds' presence in the rice fields and attracted different bird species. Reclamation and urban development on the rice fields is a major concern. Conservation efforts and strict regulation of pesticide use should be implemented to develop sustainable agriculture practices that are beneficial to human and wildlife communities.
Biodiversity of aquatic insect and physicochemical water quality parameters in Mae Tao and Mae Ku watersheds were
assessed bi-monthly from February 2011 to February 2012. A total of 59 families representing 9 orders were recorded.
At order level, Trichoptera was found at the highest frequency in total abundance (45.75%) followed by Ephemeroptera
(18.06%), Hemiptera (13.45%), Odonata (9.62%), Diptera (8.17%), Coleoptera (4.6%), Megaloptera (0.17%),
Lepidoptera (0.11%) and Plecoptera (0.07%). The family Hydropsychidae was the most prominent and the most abundant
aquatic insect taxa followed by Chironomidae. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen and ammonia-nitrogen were similar
at all sampling stations. Significant variations in pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen
and alkalinity were found at all sampling stations. Taxa richness and diversity index significantly correlated with dissolved
oxygen, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen and ammonia-nitrogen (p<0.05, p<0.01). Physicochemical data and biological data
showed that mostly the surface water quality in Mae Tao and Mae Ku watersheds were within Type III of The Surface
Water Standard for Agriculture and Water Quality for Protection of Aquatic Resources in Thailand.
The subterranean termite Globitermus sulphureus is an important Southeast Asian pest with limited genomic resources that causes damages to agriculture crops and building structures. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to survey the G. sulphureus transcriptome composition. Here, we performed de novo transcriptome for G. sulphureus workers' heads using Illumina HiSeq paired-end sequencing technology. A total of 88, 639, 408 clean reads were collected and assembled into 243, 057 transcripts and 193, 344 putative genes. The transcripts were annotated with the Trinotate pipeline. In total, 27, 061 transcripts were successfully annotated using BLASTX against the SwissProt database and 17, 816 genes were assigned to 47, 598 GO terms. We classified 14, 223 transcripts into COG classification, resulting in 25 groups of functional annotations. Next, a total of 12, 194 genes were matched in the KEGG pathway and 392 metabolic pathways were predicted based on the annotation. Moreover, we detected two endogenous cellulases in the sequences. The RT-qPCR analysis showed that there were significant differences in the expression levels of two genes β-glucosidase and endo-β-1,4-glucanase between worker and soldier heads of G. sulphureus. This is the first study to characterize the complete head transcriptome of a higher termite G. sulphureus using a high-throughput sequencing. Our study may provide an overview and comprehensive molecular resource for comparative studies of the transcriptomics and genomics of termites.
The world does not have too much time to ensure that the fast-growing population has enough land, food, water and energy. The rising food demand has brought a positive surge in fertilizers' demand and agriculture-based economy. The world is using 170 million tons of fertilizer every year for food, fuel, fiber, and feed. The nitrogenous fertilizers are being used to meet 48% of the total food demand of the world. High fertilizer inputs augment the reactive nitrogen levels in soil, air, and water. The unassimilated reactive nitrogen changes into a pollutant and harms the natural resources. The use of controlled-release fertilizers for slowing down the nutrients' leaching has recently been practiced by farmers. However, to date, monitoring of the complete discharge time and discharge rate of controlled released fertilizers is not completely understood by the researchers. In this work, corn starch was thermally processed into a week gel-like coating material by reacting with urea and borate. The granular urea was coated with native and processed starch in a fluidized bed reactor having bottom-up fluid delivery system. The processed starch exhibited better thermal and mechanical stability as compared to the native starch. Unlike the pure starch, the storage modulus of the processed starch dominated the loss modulus. The release time of urea, coated with processed starch, remained remarkably larger than the uncoated urea.
Energy has a significant influence on Malaysia's industry. It is used in electricity generation, refineries, gas processing plants and end-user applications such as transportation, residential, agriculture and fishing. These burning fossil fuel activities produce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. This article presents the emissions data of fuel used in power plants in Malaysia during the year of 1990 until 2017. The fuel used in power plants is coal and coke, natural gas, diesel oil and residual fuel oil. The energy data used in power plants were gathered from the Malaysia Energy Information Hub, published by the Malaysian Energy Commission. The GHG emissions data were calculated using the emission factors method. The climate impact of different GHGs in terms of CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) was also calculated using global warming potentials. The article also presents population data in Malaysia during the year. A correlation between the fuels, GHG emission and the population is also investigated using statistical analysis. The data presented here may facilitate the Malaysian government to identify the source of the pollutants and undertake a climate change mitigation plan.
The Cameron Highlands has experienced multiple land encroachment activities and repeated deforestation, leading to extensive land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) during the past six decades. This study aims to determine the LULCC against topography in Cameron Highlands between 2009 and 2019 by using geospatial techniques to analyze Landsat 7 (ETM+) and 8 (OLI/TIRS), ASTER GDEM and MODIS imaging sensors. The results showed a decline of 35.98 km2 in primary forests over ten years across the Cameron Highlands, while agricultural lands and urban areas flourished by a rise of 51.61 km2 and 11.00 km2 respectively. It can be noted that the elevation most affected is between 1000 and 1500 m, across all classes. Further results showed the expansion of both agriculture and urban development onto slopes above 35°, leading to an instability of soil structure. In a comparison of the base years of 2009 with 2019, mean LST results have shown temperatures rising by 7.5°C, while an average between 3 and 4°C across the region is recorded. The results obtained provide new information for government bodies and land planners to coordinate their actions without further jeopardizing the environment of the Cameron Highlands.
The worsening water scarcity has imposed a significant stress on food production in many parts of the world. This stress becomes more critical when countries seek self-sufficiency. A literature review shows that food self-sufficiency has not been assessed as the main factor in determining the optimal cultivation patterns. However, food self-sufficiency is one of the main policies of these countries and requires the most attention and concentration. Previous works have focused on the virtual water trade to meet regional food demand and to calculate trade flows. The potential of the trade network can be exploited to improve the cropping pattern to ensure food and water security. To this end, and based on the research gaps mentioned, this study develops a method to link intra-country trade networks, food security, and total water footprints (WFs) to improve food security. The method is applied in Iran, a water-scarce country. The study shows that 781 × 106 m3 of water could be saved by creating a trade network. Results of the balanced trade network are input to a multi-objective optimization model to improve cropping patterns based on the objectives of achieving food security and preventing water crises. The method provides 400 management scenarios to improve cropping patterns considering 51 main crops in Iran. Results show a range of improvements in food security (19-45%) and a decrease in WFs (2-3%). The selected scenario for Iran would reduce the blue water footprint by 1207 × 106 m3, and reduce the cropland area by 19 × 103 ha. This methodology allows decision makers to develop policies that achieve food security under limited water resources in arid and semi-arid regions.
E. coli O157:H7 is associated with life threatening diseases such as hemorrhagic colitis (HC), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Raw milk is considered a high risk food as it is highly nutritious and serves as an ideal medium for bacterial growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw cow, goat and buffalo milk samples. MPN-PCR method targeting the major virulence rfbE gene and fliCH7gene of E. coli O157:H7 was used. Total of 177 raw milk samples were collected from local dairy farms in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The highest prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was found in raw cow milk (18.75%). E. coli O157:H7 was detected in 7.32% and 3.57% of raw goat and buffalo milk, respectively. The estimated quantity of E. coli O157:H7 in raw cow, goat and buffalo milk ranged from
Edible bird's nest (EBN) is currently widely consumed by the Chinese community as tonic food and functional food, which is believed to have many medicinal benefits. Some studies have reported the biochemical compositions of EBN, graded on the basis of colour, nitrate and nitrite contents. Other studies have shown significant biological effects, while ongoing research is in progress to explore potential pharmacological applications. The high demand for EBNs in the global market has forced the local regulatory bodies to monitor swiftlet farming activities, including the EBN cleaning process. Furthermore, numerous techniques have been developed to authenticate EBN; proteomics is likely to be the most promising of these methods. However, there are limited numbers of relevant protein sequences deposited at the database. More research is needed at the molecular level to explore the mechanisms behind the biological functions, such as bone strength improvement, skin rejuvenation, epidermal growth factor activity and cell proliferation.The current and future prospects of EBN and swiftlet farming are critically reviewed in this article.
Durian (Durio zibethinus) is one of the most popular tropical fruits in Asia. To date, 126 durian types have been registered with the Department of Agriculture in Malaysia based on phenotypic characteristics. Classification based on morphology is convenient, easy, and fast but it suffers from phenotypic plasticity as a direct result of environmental factors and age. To overcome the limitation of morphological classification, there is a need to carry out genetic characterization of the various durian types. Such data is important for the evaluation and management of durian genetic resources in producing countries. In this study, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to study the genetic variation in 27 durian types from the germplasm collection of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Based on DNA sequences deposited in Genbank, seven pairs of primers were successfully designed to amplify SSR regions in the durian DNA samples. High levels of variation among the 27 durian types were observed (expected heterozygosity,H E = 0.35). The DNA fingerprinting power of SSR markers revealed by the combined probability of identity (PI) of all loci was 2.3×10-3. Unique DNA fingerprints were generated for 21 out of 27 durian types using five polymorphic SSR markers (the other two SSR markers were monomorphic). We further tested the utility of these markers by evaluating the clonal status of shared durian types from different germplasm collection sites, and found that some were not clones. The findings in this preliminary study not only shows the feasibility of using SSR markers for DNA fingerprinting of durian types, but also challenges the current classification of durian types, e.g., on whether the different types should be called "clones", "varieties", or "cultivars". Such matters have a direct impact on the regulation and management of durian genetic resources in the region.
Along with the growing utilization of zinc (Zn) and Zn-containing nanoparticles in various industries, Zn ecotoxicological evaluation on human food supply is necessary even though Zn is generally considered safe and rarely concentrated ecotoxicologically. This study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation of Zn in 18 species of vegetables (seven leafy, nine fruity vegetables and one species each of tuber and legume) collected from two farming sites in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A human health risk assessment (HHRA) was also conducted. In addition to HHRA based on the general population, HHRA based on each major ethnic group of the Malaysian society was also determined considering that the food consumption pattern would definitely be varied across ethnicities and age groups (children and adults). The study results showed that Zn concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in leafy vegetables than in other types of vegetables. However, the target hazard quotient (THQ) values were all found to be < 1.0. Therefore, based on the Malaysian ethnicities and age groups with their respective vegetable consumption patterns, the results indicated insignificant noncarcinogenic human health risk of Zn via oral consumption of vegetables by the Malaysian population. As a metric of measurement of HHRA, a comparison of THQ values could yield previously unreported insights into HHRA differences among the compared populations. A comparison of THQ values among the consumer groups indicated higher HHR for Chinese Malaysians and children due to their higher vegetable consumption and lower body weight, respectively. A comparison the Zn intakes of all the consumer groups with the recommended nutrient intakes indicated that the oral consumption of the vegetable species collected in this study would not result in Zn-related hazards and would not be able to fulfil the Zn dietary need of the individual consumer.
Water is an essential component of agriculture-food production. As the biomass and biofuel are known excellent sources of renewable and sustainable energy, cultivating process consumes significant quantities of water. Without sufficient, good-quality and easily accessible water, the European agriculture-food production could thus be under threat. This research analyses the impact of the water supply on the bioenergy production in the 28 European Union countries, for the 1990-2018 period within the pathway of the European Union 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The findings using the generalised least squares (GLS) technique show that bioenergy production and population density appear to decrease water supply. Precisely, the magnitude of the effects is - 0.224 and - 0.136 for developing countries and developed countries in the EU, respectively. This indicates that a serious reduction of water security is more likely to happen in developed countries than in developing countries as a result of the increase in bioenergy consumption. In the meantime, fossil fuel, income generation activities and institutional quality have already positively affected water supply. Thus, these findings implied that water scarcity is becoming one of the main obstacles for bioenergy expansion and growth. The results were also further verified by the random effect and pooled oriented least squares method. This study recommends that the Member of the European Union States should continue to increase bioenergy production in the energy mix efforts without any strenuous water security issues. Notwithstanding, there are several situations where a developing bioenergy industry is unlikely to be constrained by water shortage, and with the drive of bioenergy demand, the efforts might unlock new opportunities to adapt to water-related challenges and to improve water usage efficiencies. The authorities should illustrate organised water security and sustainable bioenergy policy by way of developing alternative strategies in reducing fossil fuel power and related CO2 emissions, accordingly to the unique characteristics of both developed and developing countries in the EU.
This study aims to determine an interactive environmental model for economic growth that would be supported by the "sustainability principles" across the globe. The study examines the relationship between environmental pollutants (i.e., carbon dioxide emission, sulfur dioxide emission, mono-nitrogen oxide, and nitrous oxide emission); population growth; energy use; trade openness; per capita food production; and it's resulting impact on the real per capita GDP and sectoral growth (i.e., share of agriculture, industry, and services in GDP) in a panel of 34 high-income OECD, high-income non-OECD, and Europe and Central Asian countries, for the period of 1995-2014. The results of the panel fixed effect regression show that per capita GDP are influenced by sulfur dioxide emission, population growth, and per capita food production variability, while energy and trade openness significantly increases per capita income of the region. The results of the panel Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) show that carbon dioxide emission significantly decreases the share of agriculture and industry in GDP, while it further supports the share of services sector to GDP. Both the sulfur dioxide and mono-nitrogen oxide emission decreases the share of services in GDP; nitrous oxide decreases the share of industry in GDP; while mono-nitrogen oxide supports the industrial activities. The following key growth-specific results has been obtained from the panel SUR estimation, i.e., (i) Both the food production per capita and trade openness significantly associated with the increasing share of agriculture, (ii) food production and energy use significantly increases the service sectors' productivity; (iii) food production decreases the industrial activities; (iv) trade openness decreases the share of services to GDP while it supports the industrial share to GDP; and finally, (v) energy demand decreases along with the increase agricultural share in the region. The results emphasize the need for an interactive environmental model that facilitates the process of sustainable development across the globe.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector and continues to expand alongside terrestrial crop and livestock production. Using portfolio theory as a conceptual framework, we explore how current interconnections between the aquaculture, crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors act as an impediment to, or an opportunity for, enhanced resilience in the global food system given increased resource scarcity and climate change. Aquaculture can potentially enhance resilience through improved resource use efficiencies and increased diversification of farmed species, locales of production, and feeding strategies. However, aquaculture's reliance on terrestrial crops and wild fish for feeds, its dependence on freshwater and land for culture sites, and its broad array of environmental impacts diminishes its ability to add resilience. Feeds for livestock and farmed fish that are fed rely largely on the same crops, although the fraction destined for aquaculture is presently small (∼4%). As demand for high-value fed aquaculture products grows, competition for these crops will also rise, as will the demand for wild fish as feed inputs. Many of these crops and forage fish are also consumed directly by humans and provide essential nutrition for low-income households. Their rising use in aquafeeds has the potential to increase price levels and volatility, worsening food insecurity among the most vulnerable populations. Although the diversification of global food production systems that includes aquaculture offers promise for enhanced resilience, such promise will not be realized if government policies fail to provide adequate incentives for resource efficiency, equity, and environmental protection.
Agricultural development in the tropics lags behind development in the
temperate latitudes due to the lack of advanced technology, and various biotic and abiotic
factors. To cope with the increasing demand for food and other plant-based products,
improved crop varieties have to be developed. To breed improved varieties, a better
understanding of crop genetics is necessary. With the advent of next-generation DNA
sequencing technologies, many important crop genomes have been sequenced. Primary
importance has been given to food crops, including cereals, tuber crops, vegetables, and
fruits. The DNA sequence information is extremely valuable for identifying key genes
controlling important agronomic traits and for identifying genetic variability among the
cultivars. However, massive DNA re-sequencing and gene expression studies have to be
performed to substantially improve our understanding of crop genetics. Application of the
knowledge obtained from the genomes, transcriptomes, expression studies, and
epigenetic studies would enable the development of improved varieties and may lead to a
second green revolution. The applications of next generation DNA sequencing
technologies in crop improvement, its limitations, future prospects, and the features of
important crop genome projects are reviewed herein.
Collections of anopheline mosquitos were made twice monthly for 13 months from a cow-baited trap in two villages, Kampung Permatang Rawa and Sungai Udang Kecil, on mainland coastal Penang, Malaysia. Each collection period was six hours from sunset. Unquantified larval collections were made regularly in each area. Although the villages were only about 50km apart, and each had extensive, irrigated rice-fields in its vicinity, the species abundance and the seasonal fluctuations differed significantly. In Kampung Permatang Rawa Anopheles sinensis and An. peditaeniatus were dominant in prevalence, whereas in Sungai Udang Kecil An. indefinitus and An. lesteri paraliae were most common and An. peditaeniatus was relatively rare. The rice growing schedules in the two areas differed, but there was a moderate correlation between the abundance of several species and the rice-growing pattern. There was no correlation at either site with rainfall.
The contribution of heavy metals in surface soils by the influences of agro-machinery factories is a significant growing concern. Heavy metals were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique to assess human and ecological risks. The concentrations of Fe, Cd, Cr, Cu, As, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn in soil ranged from 18,274-22,652, 2.06-4.92, 24.8-41.9, 126.8-137.5, 9.20-25.2, 17.8-46.1, 114.4-183.1, 86.9-118.1, and 101.6-159.6 mg/kg, respectively. The enrichment factor values of heavy metals were greater than 1.5, suggesting severe anthropogenic activities such as untreated waste discharging, burning of metallic wastes, wear, and tear, and dismantling of old batteries for heavy metals enrichment in studied soil. The contamination factor indicates considerable to very high contamination of heavy metals in soil. Moderate to high ecological risk was observed for analyzed metals which mainly originated from the maintenance and repairing of various engines in the workshop and welding and soldering of metallic substances. The target hazard quotient (THQ) was ranged from 6.99E-04 to 2.21E-01 for adults and 5.59E-03 to 1.82E + 00 for children, respectively; indicating children were more sensitive to heavy metals exposure from soil dust. The carcinogenic risk of As (1.72E-05) exceeded the USEPA acceptable limits indicating cancer risk to the residence. The current emphasized the significance of intensive heavy metals monitoring in surface soils around the agro-machinery areas due to their potential health risks associated with children.
The so-called negritos adapt not just to a tropical forest environment but also to an environment characterized by perturbations and fluctuations. As with other hunter-gatherers in the region and, indeed, throughout the world, they use both social and ecological methods to enhance their chances of survival in this changing environment: socially, they have developed networks of trading and marriage partners; ecologically, they maintain patches of key resources that are available for future harvesting. As evidenced in the case of the Batek (Orang Asli), patterns of forest structure and composition are sometimes direct outcomes of intentional resource concentration and enrichment strategies. While little of the above is controversial anthropologically, what has drawn some debate is the nature of the relationship with partner societies. Conventional wisdom posits relations of inequality between foragers and "others": foragers and farmers are often construed as hierarchical dyads where foragers supply products or labor to farmers in exchange for agricultural harvests and other trade goods. This kind of adaptation appears to be one of divergent specialization. However, there are cases, such as in the relationship between Batek and Semaq Beri, where both societies follow a roughly similar mode of adaptation, and specialization has not materialized. In sum, while not denying that hierarchy and inequality exist, I suggest that they have to be contextualized within a larger strand of relationships that includes both hierarchy and egality. Further, such relationships are part of the general portfolio of risk reduction strategies, following which access to widely scattered environmental resources, and passage from one location to another, is enhanced not by competing with and displacing neighbors but by maintaining a flexible regime of friendly exchange partners.