R & D ANNUAL REPORT 2016

Speakers, organisers and participants posing at the end of the seminar

Following the past 12 successful seminars that highlighted the advances of agriculture and food science, this year’s Agriculture Technology Seminar Series XIII recommenced with the aquaculture industry being the cynosure of the seminar. Themed ‘Towards Environmentally Sustainable Aquaculture’, the seminar was co-organised by UTAR’s Centre for Biodiversity Research (CBR), Faculty of Science (FSc) and Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research (IPSR) on 16 July 2016 at the Kampar Campus.

Attracting the largest crowd among the previous seminars, UTAR Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei thanked the 160 participants for their support and participation that has enabled the seminar to grow from strength to strength over the years.  “As the seminar is the university’s responsibility and initiative in agricultural science, I believe the seminar has received a good reputation and following from the general public and industrial experts. I hope you participants will benefit from the information shared by the speakers and I look forward to seeing fruitful discussion among yourselves,” said Prof. Lee during his welcome speech.

Prof. Lee delivering his welcome speech

 Organising Chairman Prof Dr Ooi Aun Chuan also expressed his gratitude to everyone present for making the event a success and concisely introduced the speakers, namely Professor for Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Prof Dato’ Dr Mohamed Shariff bin Mohamed Din, Fish Health Management and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Consultant of LTS Consultancy Malaysia Dr Leong Tak Seng, Professor in Fish Nutrition Laboratory of the School of Biological Sciences from Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Dr Ng Wing Keong,  Deputy Director for the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Dr Shahreza Md Sheriff, Biovalence Sdn Bhd Chief Technology Officer Ung Eng Huan, and Assistant Professor of Mechatronics and Biomedical Department from UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Dr Loo Joo Ling.

 “I am very grateful for the support of our distinguished speakers for sharing their experiences in the emerging aquaculture industry. The seminar was organised to meet the needs of UTAR students and the public interested in aquaculture, with hopes to enhance our understanding of the current issues facing the industry,” said Prof Ooi.

 

Prof Ooi introducing the speakers during his speech

 Looking at the aquaculture industry as an important protein source for people, the seminar placed emphasis on sharing solutions to advance its sustainable production, to address the limiting factors for growth of the aquaculture industry, and to identity the research activities that will help the aquaculture industry.

 The first speaker Prof Mohamed spoke on “What Triggers the Outbreak of Fish Diseases in Aquaculture Systems?”. His message highlighted stress as the primary cause of disease outbreaks in fish. He associated changes in temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen levels, as well as sublethal levels of chemicals as factors contributing to the changes in fishes’ bodies that eventually cause fish to succumb to infectious agents. Therefore, Prof Mohamed spoke that understanding the topic was crucial to devising solutions to control and prevent disease outbreaks in aquaculture systems.

 Apart from stress, Dr Leong spoke of the improper quarantine procedure used on imported fish upon arrival as also the cause of disease outbreaks that have diminished economic gains. With his topic “Managing Parasite and Diseases in Marine Fish Cultured in Floating Cages”, he shared findings from his study of freshwater treatment on farmed fish to determine the effect of the treatment on monogenean ectoparasites and their rapidness in re-infecting the treated fish.

 Prof Ng, with his topic on “Sustainable Shrimp Aquaculture through the Utilisation of Functional Additives in Aquafeeds”, too acknowledged that diseases have been one of the most limiting problems in the aquaculture industry today and highlighted the current status of global shrimp production with its accompanying challenges. Through his presentation, participants were enlightened with the use of various functional feed additives as alternatives to antibiotics and their modes in enhancing the disease resistance of farmed shrimp. He hoped that participants would be able to derive a better understanding of the potential contribution of functional feed additives to the sustainability of the global shrimp farming industry.

 Further expatiating on aquaculture, Dr Shahreza, with his topic “Genetic Improvement in Aquaculture: Issues and Potentials in the Malaysian Aquaculture Scenario”, shared the importance of producing good quality seed that is disease tolerant, hardy and with good appearance through the Genetic Improvement approach. He believed the approach will further improve current aquaculture species; and thus his study discussed on the issues and potentials of the Genetic Improvement approach on the aquaculture industry.

 Participants also learnt of the aquaculture industry benefitting from technological advances as Ung presented on “Designing the Next Generation Shrimp Farm”, by introducing the Rosette Model, along with the hardware and software involved in the concept. He mentioned that the model will combine the latest aquaculture engineering, Cloud-based Information Technology, biotechnology and water reuse technology to help design innovative shrimp farms with reduced human error.

 The final speaker Dr Loo spoke on her study titled “Investigation of Alternative Ingredients as Partial Fishmeal Replacement in Aquaculture Feed” that addressed the need for good and cost-effective protein sources. With importance placed on determining the effect of protein substitutes on the biochemical and physiological changes in fish, her research aimed to develop suitable substitutes for Fish Meal (FM) to maintain the sustainability and improve the cost efficiency of by-products and plant feedstuffs. Through her research, the optimum protein substitute that will support the maximum growth and survival of fish can be determined.

 

Clockwise from top left: Prof Mohamed, Dr Leong, Prof Ng, Dr Loo, Ung and Dr Shahreza sharing valuable information on the aquaculture industry

Towards the end of the seminar, Prof Ooi recapitulated the lucid information presented by the speakers and Faculty of Science Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng was invited to deliver his closing remarks.

 “This seminar reminds us once again that agriculture is related to food production and food security which we all need. Therefore, with this seminar, I hope Bachelor of Science (Hons) Agricultural Science students will be exposed to the current state of the industry and the problems facing the industry. This is to prepare the students so that they will be able to contribute and to work with others in the agriculture field. Indeed we have learnt a lot today and the questions asked have probed deeper into the issues faced,” said Dr Lim.

Dr Lim delivering his closing remarks

Chee Wei Ling, a formulator from Dindings Soya & Multifeeds Sdn Bhd enthused on her enjoyable time at the seminar that enabled her to obtain the latest information regarding the industry. She mentioned that the information was eye-opening and looked forward to applying the information in her job and research.

 Dr Lim also delightedly informed every one of the upcoming 14^th seminar that will be held in November this year and thanked the sponsor, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK), for their support in making the seminar possible. The seminar ended with souvenir presentations to the speakers, and a group photograph of all speakers, participants and organisers.

  

Top, from left: Dr Lim presenting souvenirs to Prof Mohamed, Dr Leong and Prof Ng
Bottom, from left: Seminar Moderator and Committee Adviser Dr Wong Wey Lim presenting souvenirs to Dr Shahreza, Ung and Dr Loo

Speakers, participants and organisers posing at the end of the workshop

 Once again expanding their efforts to educate students, staff and the public on organic farming, UTAR’s Centre for Biodiversity Research (CBR) together with the Faculty of Science (FSc) and Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research (IPSR) organised their second Agriculture Technology Workshop on 17 July 2016 at the Kampar Campus.

 Continuing from their first workshop that was successfully organised at Cameron Highlands in 2014, this year’s workshop was themed ‘DIY: Vermicomposting and Bokashi Composting’ and featured two experienced speakers, namely Wynnee Goh and Angie Yim, to share their insights on organic farming.

 In his opening remarks, Organising Chairperson Prof Dr Ooi Aun Chuan expressed his thanks to the sponsor, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) for making the workshop possible and to the participants for their support.

 “The attendance from the public today shows a positive response and interest to organic farming. As the workshop aims to enlighten participants on various approaches in vermicomposting and Bokashi Composting and to encourage participants’ involvement in these environmentally friendly processes, we also included other subtopics such as biological control, ecology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to share with everyone,” said Prof Ooi.

 Initiating the first half of the workshop on vermicomposting, Yim demonstrated the setting up of a home worm bin and elucidated the various species of worms used in composting the waste. Participants actively participated as they learnt of the ways to manage the bin from the demonstration and discovered the benefits of enzymes produced from the compost. The aerobic process is also believed to be helpful in eliminating odour from the waste.

 Goh continued the workshop with her topic on Bokashi Composting and shared her three years’ experience with the participants. She dexterously demonstrated the steps involved in preparing the compost, using the microorganisms mixed into the carbon base to ferment the food waste. Participants were informed that the composting process would take three to four weeks to complete and the final product can then be used as fertiliser for plants.

 The workshop saw the participation of both young and old who were able to expand their knowledge of organic farming. Besides inculcating farming skills, the workshop also served as a platform for participants to exchange information through the Q&A session.

 The workshop then ended with souvenir presentations to the speakers by Faculty of Science Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng and a group photograph.

 

Yim explaining the home bin system

Yim describing the various worms used for composting

Goh demonstrating the setting up of the compost

Goh guiding participants in preparing the Bokashi compost

Dr Lim presenting tokens of appreciation to Yim (left) and Goh

Group photo of the participants and speakers

 The UTAR Intervarsity Science Symposium (UISS) 2016 was held at Kampar Campus from 12 to 13 August 2016 and saw the active participation of around a hundred undergraduate and postgraduate students from UTAR and other public and private universities in Malaysia.

 Held for the first time in 2015, the successful seminar was jointly organised by the UTAR Centre for Biodiversity Research (CBR) and Faculty of Science (FSc). UISS this year saw more than 20 presenters comprising students from institutions of higher learning assembling at the Kampar Campus for presentations of their R&D findings and research experiences in many different fields, namely chemistry, biological sciences, agriculture, food science and health sciences.

 Chairman of the UISS 2016 Organising Committee Dr Tey Lai Hock expressed his gratitude to the speakers and the many sponsors for their support to UISS. He explained, “Themed ‘Embark Science for Future Advancement’, the symposium aims to provide an opportunity to undergraduate and postgraduate students to promote their research to the public via poster and oral presentations. The symposium also aims to create a platform for students to interact with experts from both the industrial and academic sectors. It is a meeting place for developing the careers of young researchers at the interface of the life sciences.”

 

Dr Wong addressing the crowd

 In his speech, CBR Chairperson Dr Wong Wey Lim congratulated the Organising Committee for making the symposium possible and extended his warm welcome to the presenters and participants. He added, “Today, advancements in science and technology are the key drivers in improving human living and economic development. Fundamental advances in scientific research have become part and parcel of development in many countries, including Malaysia. It is important for researchers, industrial representatives and related stakeholders to sit together and share their up-to-date knowledge in creating and accelerating novel innovations in science.

 

Dr Lim delivering his opening speech

 FSc Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng said, “This symposium is a timely platform for people from various backgrounds in science to interact and exchange knowledge and ideas to synthesise scientific advances and to establish potential multidisciplinary research collaborations.”

 He added, “The theme chosen is also pertinent for the development of STEM education because more and more students are shying away from science. The involvement of undergraduate students in symposiums and seminars will give good exposure to them and hopefully instill the interest to further their studies to postgraduate research.”

Dr Lee presenting his research findings

 The keynote speaker for the two-day symposium was Assoc Prof Dr Lee Ping Chin from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Through her talk titled “Harnessing the Pharmaceutical Potentials of Tropical Biodiversity”, Dr Lee highlighted that Borneo is one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in the world with its endless variety of flora and fauna. She revealed, “Over the last couple of years we have screened many tropical plants, microbial communities and marine sponges in Sabah for compounds with pharmaceutical applications. These organisms produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites which have bioactivities against signal transduction of prokaryotes and eukaryotes.”

Clockwise, from top left: Dr Kumaran, Dr Ng, Albert, Tan, Chan, Sharman, Dr Tan, Prof Sandy and Szu Ting

With 11 oral presentations and 17 poster presentations, the enriching discussions were further supplemented with elevating talks by nine other invited speakers, namely Assoc Prof Dr Kumaran Narayanan from Monash University Malaysia, Dr Ng Thian Hong from Synthomer Asia, Tan Poi Teng from Lab Science Solution Sdn Bhd, Albert Ng Choon Lee from Nanogene Solution Sdn Bhd, Chan Chun Foong from Orbiting Scientific & Technology Sdn Bhd, Sharman M. Gaspar from Infors Southeast Asia (M) Sdn Bhd, Prof Dr Sandy Loh Hwei San from The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Dr Tan Chon Seng from Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institutions and Ng Szu Ting from LiGNO Biotech Sdn Bhd.

 

Participants during an oral presentation

 

Participants exchanging information with industrial representatives

 

Participants thronging the poster area

 The two-day symposium officially came to an end after an announcement of winners for best oral and poster presentations. The list of winners is as follows::

Best Oral Presentation Award – Postgraduate: Toh Wai Keat, UTAR

Best Oral Presentation Award – Undergraduate:

 - Aaron Justine Ng-Hao, UTAR

- Joanne Lam See Weng, UTAR

 Best Poster Award – Postgraduate:  Melissa Ong, UTARR

Best Poster Award – Undergraduate:Best Poster Award – Undergraduate:

 - Helena Erin Doge-Wan, Monash University of Malaysia

- Leong Mei Kei, UTAR 

UISS 2016 was supported and sponsored by UTAR, INO Nature Sdn Bhd, Active Advance Technology Sdn Bhd, Geneion Bio Sdn Bhd, Spritzer @ Chuan Sin Sdn Bhd, Nanogene Solutions Sdn Bhd, Lab Science Solution Sdn Bhd, Intercontinental Specialty Fats Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bumi Sains and MyTACG Bioscience Enterprise.UISS 2016 was supported and sponsored by UTAR, INO Nature Sdn Bhd, Active Advance Technology Sdn Bhd, Geneion Bio Sdn Bhd, Spritzer @ Chuan Sin Sdn Bhd, Nanogene Solutions Sdn Bhd, Lab Science Solution Sdn Bhd, Intercontinental Specialty Fats Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bumi Sains and MyTACG Bioscience Enterprise.

Group photo of the speakers and participants

The 14th series of the Agriculture Technology Seminar was held at the Faculty of Science (FSc), UTAR Kampar Campus on 19 November 2016 after the previous seminar in May this year.

 Organised by UTAR Centre for Biodiversity Research (CBR), the seminar, themed “Promoting Native Fruits of Malaysia”, proved to be an enlightening affair featuring six speakers, namely Prof Dr Asgar Ali Warsi from University of Nottingham Malaysia, Casey Ng Keat Chun from UTAR, Dr Mohd Shukri Mat Ali @ Ibrahim and Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli from Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Academician Prof Emeritus Dr Yong Hoi Sen from University of Malaya (UM), and Eric Chong San Dee from Green Acres Sustainable Farm, Penang.

In his welcoming address, Chairperson for UTAR CBR Dr Wong Wey Lim expressed his delight over the success of the seminar. “I hope that through this seminar, we can put our minds together to discuss how to improve our understanding about local fruits, how to increase production and improve farming, how to use technology more efficiently and so on,” he mentioned.

 

Dr Wong expressing his delight over the seminar’s success

 Thanking the speakers on behalf of the organising committee, Organising Chairperson Prof Dr Peter Ooi Aun Chuan subsequently welcomed and introduced the six erudite speakers present to share their insights and knowledge. “Many fruits are seasonal. And as someone who enjoys eating fruits, it’ll be intriguing to see how we can explore harvesting those fruits even during the off-season,” Prof Ooi remarked.

Prof Ooi thanking those who have supported sustainable agriculture

 Also present were Dean of FSc, Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng, FSc Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes, Assoc Prof Dr Gideon Khoo, and FSc Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes, Assoc Prof Dr Tee Chong Siang.

 Starting the first presentation was Prof Asgar with his talk titled “Developing Edible Solutions for Postharvest Problems of Malaysian Fruit and Vegetables”. The Director of the University of Nottingham’s Centre of Excellence for Postharvest Biotechnology (CEPB) explained that many important tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, avocados and guavas are climacteric, and thus ripen rapidly during transition and storage processes.  “There are chances for these fruits to slow down ripening after harvest and have extended shelf lives through controlled atmosphere storage, modified atmosphere packaging, or with edible coatings,” said Prof Asgar, who further shared with the audience the potential effects of several natural based edible coatings such as chitosan and gum arabic on delaying the ripening, prolonging postharvest life, and reducing decay of horticultural commodities during storage.

 Ng, who is the UTAR Agricultural Science Journal’s Working Committee Member, highlighted the current threats to the country’s banana biodiversity in recent years in “Banana: An Old Favourite with a New Problem”. According to him, in recent years, local night markets or fresh markets have no more than five cultivars sold despite the initial record in 1919 stating 34 cultivated varieties of bananas being planted in the country. “The standardization by the European Union for the quality of bananas is an example of limiting the variety of bananas being marketed, thus reducing the companies to only plant one or two species,” added Ng, who is also a PhD candidate at Faculty of Science, UTAR.

 In Dr Mohd Shukri’s presentation titled “Conservation and Utilization of Mangifera Species in Malaysia”, the audience was given a glimpse of the different species found in the country as well as further utilization of other potential mango species for value-added products, such as juices, pickles or dehydrated candies which also boost the farmers’ income. “In terms of conservation, MARDI has carried out ex situ conservation of Mangifera species with 18 Mangifera species currently conserved in the Serdang, Selangor and Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. The Department of Agriculture, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak also maintained similar conservation of the Mangifera species. Even farmers throughout Malaysia also contribute to the on-farm conservation of the species,” the Principal Researcher and Deputy Director of the Program on Conservation and Management of Genetic Resources and Germplasms, Genebank and Seed Centre, MARDI added.

 Prof Yong’s “Insect Pests of Fruits” effectively highlighted the diversity and problems of fruit flies which have economical importance. According to the Professor Emeritus in Genetics and Zoology at UM’s Institute of Biological Sciences, fruit flies of the family Tephritidae, represented by approximately 4000 species in 500 genera, are among the most serious insect pests of fruits. About 35% of species attack soft fruits which include commercial fruits. Likewise, the fruit flies of the subfamily Dacinae are also potentially harmful to commercial fruits as well as vegetables and flower crops,” said Prof Yong, and added that these species are widely distributed throughout tropical Asia, the south Pacific and Australia with 73 species being documented as economically important in the Pacific Region.

 “Conversation and Utilization of Nephelium L.” was the following topic presented by Norfaizal, who is a Senior Researcher in the programme of Genetic Resources and Germplasm Conservation Management, Genebank and Seed Centre, MARDI. Norfaizal elucidated the fact that the commonly seen rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is the only commercial species widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia and that the Nephelium species are currently still underutilized with most growing in the wild or semi-wild conditions and producing edible but lesser quality fruits. He also elaborated on MARDI’s various conservation initiatives as well as Nephelium’s potential for consumption and usage. “Breeding work for wild and underutilized Nephelium is crucial to revive and maintain the competitiveness of Malaysia’s Nephelium genetic resources because the wild species comes with great variation and characteristics in terms of tree endurance.”

 Owner of Penang’s Green Acres Sustainable Farm, Eric Chong San Dee shared his experiences as a small-scale organic farmer and encouraged the audience to explore farming through his presentation titled “The Green Acres Farm – Is Small Scale Organic Farming Sustainable?”. “Not many people are aware that farmers affect the air and water quality too,” Chong said, and shared how organic farmers ensure long term sustainability of the environment in the way they safeguard biodiversity, grow and market their produce. The presentation also shed light on how small scale farmers sustain themselves via collaborations with the local network, like-minded industries, and international organisations; as well as through agri-tourism and farm-homestay.

 

Clockwise from most left: Prof Asgar, Ng, Dr Shukri, Chong, Norfaizal, and Prof Yong

 The one-day seminar concluded with a summary by Prof Ooi, followed by a closing remark by Dr Lim. “To our students, I hope the seminar will give you good exposure where you will understand the problems faced by the farmers as well as the world at large,” said Dr Lim, who also wished for more enriching seminars to come.

Dr Lim thanking the organising committee