THE AGRI & AQUA CULTURING NEWSLETTER

To Further Malaysias Agriculture & Aquaculture Industry

Issue 6 April 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:

Wow..! Have you guys been reading the news lately? Agriculture and aquaculture are cool and hip again! Yes, thats right! Agriculture and aquaculture are no longer considered old fashion businesses and career paths anymore! In fact, both these areas are so sexy and hot now, many investors from other countries are coming here with millions and billions of ringgit to invest! So if you guys are considering a future in agriculture or aquaculture, then stay tune for all the highlights and hands-on coverage brought to you by the team!

CONTENT OF THE MARCH 2012 ISSUE:

Importance of Pruning by Johnny Lak My Little Farm 5 by Raymond Coconut Water vs. Black Bean
by Senny Ong

2 3

Aquaculture Part 4 by MJ Joel Upcoming Events

8 11

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 6 April 2012

Importance of Pruning
Pruning is the removal of live or dead branches from trees for the growth of tree structure &/or health. This may include the removal of diseased plant parts, suckering growth or excess branches. While you are pruning the trees, think of yourself as the Professional TREE Stylist. You get to control the shape and size of your tree ala a hair stylist would do to your hair. PRUNING promotes Growth Pruning plants is essential for the growth and the overall health of your plants. Pruning plants removes any dead branches, leaves and flowers. Plants will ad grow stronger and look better when all the dead stuff is removed. Pruning can help stimulate more budding and flower growth in plants. Pruning helps the farmer have a better vision of the plant. A well pruned plant can get down to the business of growing and producing without the fertiliser you had put in for them. Instead of going to branches that will never flower & fruit or those water shoots, pruning provides ENERGY FOCUS. But most importantly, when you do pruning every round DONT OVERPRUNE as there are tendencies where farmers then to over prune either because they are lazy, ignorant or dont fully understand. The setback of overpruning is that it will cause stress towards the tree and slow down their grow growth.

Happy Pruning For a Healthier Tree

Article by Johnny Lak

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My Little Farm 5
This month I wish to shall with you the easy crops, crops that we find it easy to plant, maintain and harvest. Do give these crops some consideration if you are a newbie. As this is just a guide, do look at your local conditions and your local market requirement requirement. Banana orite My favorite crop is Banana. Planting banana is very easy and propagation is just by transplanting saplings. Being a hardy crop, its very easy to grow in most soil condition. Maintenance is just simple weed control, fertilization and harvesting. We have quite a number of varieties in our farm now.

We started off just with the normal Goreng Pisang (Saba) planted at the perimeter of our farm. Then we move on to other varieties like Berangan, Emas, Kerling, Raja, Cavendish and others. We Hope to create many saplings so that we may transplant these and lings move up to the higher value varieties. Our bananas are all rain fed hence low maintenance cost. We are testing to plant crops like sweet potatoes, yam, pumpkins and may be papayas in between the banana. Development is still on-going and we have intention to going do this on a bigger scale. Kangkung There are 2 type of Kangkung, we grew the low land dry Kangkung. We plant this on raised beds. Its very easy to learn planting Kangkung. Not much weed & pest control. Planting time can be shorten with proper care. Market demand is good and market price, as with all greens, does fluctuate. At times could be a bit low. We had to stop further development on this as there is a shift in our development plan due to insufficient labor.

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Serai

Ladys Finger, quite easy to manage. We had planted about 6 batches in small scale till now (since October 2011) and are improving our planting method. Continuing to develop and are experimenting with different varieties, planting distance, maintenance and etc. As one of our helper has some experience in this, we had a good start. We use the direct planting method, weed control we had advance to using a little herbicide and a little insecticide a pest management. as Just visited Sin Seng Huat to obtain some F1 Okra seeds. Pumpkin

Serai is very easy to grow. Just some weed control during the initial planting stage. After that, its just fertilizing and harvest. Harvesting is also pretty simple. Unfortunately we had not found any commercial market for Serai yet, so had stopped developing this. Okra Pumpkin is another easy to manage crops with approximately 120 days to harvest. There are various types of pumpkins and do check out what varieties are favored at your local market before planting. We started with the wrong variety and had a tough time selling off the first & second batch. We also practice direct planting for pumpkins. The initial weed control is critical. Later stage is much easier, just make sure they are sufficiently fertilized and adequate amount of water. We also had the wrong perception of trying to grow the biggest pumpkin in our area, but found out that the market does not favor too big a pumpkin. We manage to hit a 16.8 kg pumpkin. Our local markets prefer pumpkins of up to 7 Kg.

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Tapioca Another simple crop. Practically no management needed. Harvesting is labor intensive. I had just injured my lower back and both limbs, trying to harvest the tapioca. Am taking a rest for sprained back, tear tendons, muscles and joints. When to the clinic twice and was even admitted to A&E for back pain, luckily was already back in Kuala Lumpur. Conducting an experiment on a raised ridge as this could help reduce harvest chore. Short side trip. As I was resting in Kuala Lumpur, I took the opportunity to visit Sin Seng Huat Seeds Sdn Bhd. Their office is located in Puchong. Having bought some Okra, Long beans and Papaya seeds from them yesterday, took a little tour around their warehouse. They had set up a fertigation system, its quite a simple system and I may be able to adapt this for my usage. They also carry all the tubes, valves and fittings. Unfortunately they do not have a distributor in Sabah. Hope to recover soon and head back to my farm in a couple of days to germinate the new seeds. Stay tune for more Easy to plant Crops on the next issue.

Article by Raymond

Issue 6 April 2012

Coconut Water vs. Black Bean ~ Gout Cures

remembered some of it on what she had taught me some of her home remedies and natural healing methods. I am gratefully and it my pleasure of sharing it's it with others. Since it is one of the best, tasty and easy to prepare remedy why not. I knew this home healing remedy since young, due to the preparation attracted my attention, curiosity and strange in seeing my grandma inserted the black bean into the coconut hole to prepare this recipe. she used it regularly as alternative cure for acute kidney problem, urinary system and water retention patients. Also it helps to relax muscle; it's a stress buster. Taste good too. At first I thought beans are bad for gout but yet black bean are doing the opposite. Black beans has the antioxidant compound known as anthocyanins which helps in dissolve the uric acid crystals that cause gout. Why used coconut water cooked with black bea bean? It is good to use mature coconut but using mature coconut has the oil taste of it. But I prefer to use young Coconut water because of taste. And it has many healing properties. With the use of alternative medicine remedies increasing, its contains calcium, magnesium; potassium and everything that is good for you. by its diuretic, dissolves kidney stone, for kidney problems and are plagued by kidney stones should drink coconut water in addition to taking their medication. Drinking coconut water regularly helps to . break up kidney stones making them easier to push out and very good for gout sufferers. Other than that it promotes digestion and clearing the urinary path. With the combination of coconut water it really helps in flushing out excess water. Now a and then I received some emails regarding coconut water is highly recommended to take to prevent H1N1 virus too.

Normally we take young coconut water helps to keep the body cool and refreshing, its a natural diuretic and an excellent oral re-hydration isotonic beverage, and natural cooler to keeps our body from hydrated, it is encouraging to take more fresh young coconut water regularly as it is good for health. It is an isotonic electrolyte balance, it is astringent, and slightly acidic. It enriched with phyto nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and hormones and it is good for menopause. For urinary tract problems it aids as soothing remedies and relieves urinary disorders ary disorders. I remember when I got chicken pox, my late grandma , used coconut water instead of herbal tea to relieve body heat caused by chicken pox, according to her it aids in removing toxins and is touted as a blood purifier. My late grandma is a traditional herbalist but I ditional regretted for not obtaining her great knowledge as much as I can when she is still alive. Anyhow, I still

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Ingredients:

5. Seal the hole with clean cloth, bring to cook eal and steam for at least 4 hours.

1 coconut 40 - 50 black beans

How to prepare: 1. Rinse and wash 40 50 black beans and remove any debris. 2. Cover with water and let soak for few hours or overnight. 6. Strain the liquid and drink the coconut black bean soup only. Serve warm. (For better result continue taking this coconut black or bean soup for 1 week or regularly to relief painful gout) an For gout problem alternatively taking cherry or cherry juice , making juice of beet + Celery + Cucumber + Green apple + Carrot juice can help and ease the gout too.
Note: Black bean has the blood circ circulation effect and detoxification. The efficacy of black beans soup is favorable for water retention, strengthen heart and invigorate the kidney effect. it helps eliminate swelling in hands and feet. Usually we just cook black bean with pandan leaves and rock sugar, this simple black bean broth taste wonderful. ock

3. Remove the coconut husk and fibers, retention coconut shell and the coconut water, make a hole on top. 4. Insert in the Soaked black soybeans through the coconut hole.

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 alternativ healing method, we alternative still have to be careful in consumption, start off slowly and minimize it to prevent overdoses with it.

Issue 6 April 2012

Aquaculture Part 4: Monoculture and Polyculture

So last month we took a look at ponds and culturing systems, and weve established the idea that the prospective fish farmer will need to first determine which kind of system and ponds he/she would want to use. This month, we shall look into the two primary forms of culturing aquatic species: monoculture, and polyculture. (A) Monoculture Monoculture is the culture of only one species (kind) of fish in a pond. It can be tilapia of one species, common carp, or any other single fish species. Monoculture has some advantages. One advantage is in intensive fish culture practices, where fish are fed a lot of supplementary foods for fast growth. It is easier to give there foods if there is only one type of fish in the pond. Another possible advantage is that monoculture gives greater control over the age and sex of the fish. In monocultures, fish can be of all different ages and life stages, or they can be separated into fry, fingerlings or brood stock. However, there are also some disadvantages to monoculture. One disadvantage of a monoculture pond is that it is more likely for a single disease or parasite to kill all the fish in the pond. It should be known that different fish are particularly susceptible to certain specific diseases. If only one fish type is present in the pond, a bad fish disease could easily infect and kill all the fish if it were not stopped in time.

In monoculture ponds, fish are harvested selectively by using nets which have meshes of different sizes. For example, if the farmer wishes to harvest larger fish for market or breeding, the net will not catch or hurt the fry or fingerlings, because they are too small to be caught by a large-mesh gill net. This allows the farmer to keep his pond in operation and producing fish for food all year. Monoculture is the most common kind of pond culture. For a small fish farmer who is most interested in having a nearby, year-round supply of protein (and who does not have a lot of time or interest to give to the pond), a monoculture may be a very good idea.

A monoculture allows a farmer who is unfamiliar with fish farming to get to know his/her one type of fish very well. There is some additional advantage to this, especially when it comes to developing a market for the produce.

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(B) Polyculture re Polyculture is the culture of two or more fish species together in a pond. A good polyculture uses the natural lyculture food sources in a pond better. if the polyculture is f mixed correctly, each of the species eats a different tly, food from the pond.

with a few adult adult-sized Clarias catfish. The catfish feed on bottom organisms and serve as a population control on the fry that are produced in the tilapia ponds. Since one of the problems which can be associated with cultu culturing tilapia is overpopulation, this is a very complementary relationship. Another example of this type of polyculture is a stocking of any kind of fingerlings mixed with a few large grass carp for weed control.

Polycultures are more resistant to disease. Disease, if present, usually attacks the smaller, weaker fish, and the healthier fish continue to live and grow. Fish stocked in a polyculture must be able to live together. le And living together successfully means that the fis put fish into the pond together do not all need to eat the same food. A polyculture can have fish of any size or age -- as long as a balanced relationship is maintained. ed Some examples of polycultures are: (i) Fingerlings of two or more species stocked e together in a fertilized pond an left to and grow. A good mixture in this kind of polyculture is a mixture of Chinese carp -ture silver, grass, and bighead carp st stocked together. The silver carp eats phytoplankton; the grass carp eats pond rass vegetation; the bighead carp eats zooplankton. arge A few large fish (brood size) are stocked with fingerlings of another species in a pond and left alone. A good example of this is stocking tilapia fingerlings together Polyculture is a good way to use a pond, especially if there is only one pond to use. A careful examination of local fish and their habits should al tell a farmer what kin kinds of polycultures are possible in his pond. The important thing to remember is that the fish must not compete with each other. If stocked and managed c correctly, polyculture ponds can give maximum production to a fish farmer. In very practical terms, the f ery farmer could raise as much as three times mor fish in a more polyculture of three species than he can raise in a monoculture pond of the same size.

(ii)

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(C) Monosex Culture aid A word should be said about monosex culture, even though few farmers will choose or be able t to choose this way of operation. Monosex culture means growing only one sex of one species o fish of in a pond. When only males or only females are stocked in a pond, all the energy of a fish goes into growth and not into reproduction. An all-male . stocking has faster growth rates than a mixed tes stock of males and females, so some farmers try o to stock only males or females in a pond. One fish species that often is used in monosex culture is tilapia. Tilapias reproduce at a very small size, but when separated by sex, they do not develop their reproductive organs, yet continue to grow. One way to stock a monosex pond is to separate the fish one by one according to sex during the breeding season; another is to purchase monosex hybrid tilapias from a reputable source. Monosex culture is a valuable method of pond culture, but is usually difficult to do unless there is a supplier for monosex hybrids who is able to provide adequate number of fingerlings to the far er farmer. Multiple Pond Operations

are raised to market size; one can be used t keep to brood stock; and the third, and perhaps the smallest, can be used as a nursery pond where the eggs hatch sed and the fry grow to fingerli size. If the farmer does fingerling not plan to breed fish, then he he/she can use all three ponds as rearing ponds. The should not do this, however, without thinking ahead to the harvest and t making plans for marketing the fish he will grow, or preserving the fish for sale or use later. Once the farmer is a skilled pond manager, these ponds should rmer do well and provide a good return on his his/her investment. A Final Word on Planning Until the farmer is experienced, however it is better mer however, for him/her to start with small efforts and a smaller operation. Small pond failure is not as severe. Once the n. ponds are working well, the farmer can expand and build more and/or larger ponds. But he he/she should be encouraged to start small. There are a lot of factors in fish pond management that are learned best by anagement experience. But a bad experience will dis discourage, rather than encourage, the pond owner. Thus, good planning is a must for a successful fish pond operation. It is during the planning process, before any money or a lot of time and energy is spent, that many problems can be solved. The farmer should keep in mind while planning that ponds do not have to have expensive equipment in order to work well. Far mor important more than the equipment are: (i) An understanding of the general principles involved (ii) The selection of a fish or fishe that he fishes will do well in his pond (iii) Good daily management of the pond ood

The major difference between a large far operation farm and a small one usually lies with the number of ponds. he Three ponds are enough to have a full full-fledged operating fish farm which includes breeding, selling fry ng, and fingerlings to other farmers, and raising fry and fingerlings to market and brood size. With three pon ponds, one pond can be the rearing pond in which fingerlings

Next Month: Aquaculture Species

Article by MJ Joel

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Issue 6 April 2012

Upcoming Event Event Title

National Food Technology Seminar 2012 International Seminar on Marine Science and Aquaculture 5th International Conference on Animal Nutrition 2012

Date
6-7 March 2012

Venue
Renaissance Melaka Hotel, Melaka, Malaysia

Website/E-mail
www.nfts2012.mardi.gov.my/

13-15 March 2012

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

www.ums.edu.my/ipmb/isomsa/

24-26 April 2012

Equatorial Hotel Melaka, Malaysia

www.ican2012.mardi.gov.my/

3rd International Biotechnology and Biodiversity 9-11 June Conference and 2012 Exhibition (BIOJohor 2012) 7th International Postharvest Symposium 2012 25-29 June 2012

Persada Johor International Convention Center, Johor, Malaysia

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

Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

www.agromedia.margi.gov.my/event/postharvest2012/

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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