FGV R&D Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of FGV Holdings Berhad recently won the Gold Award in the Invention and Design Competition for its innovative product – PalmaShield under the Agriculture Category in the 30th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX’19) held in May 2019.
PalmaShield is a biological product developed to manage Ganoderma infection known as Basal Stem Rot (BSR) disease in oil palm plantations.
Currently, four per cent or 60,000 hectares from the total cultivated palm oil plantations in Malaysia have been attacked by Ganoderma with an estimated industry loss at about RM1.5 billion.
The total area expected to be affected by Ganoderma will rise to about 450,000 hectares, equivalent to approximately RM11.25 billion monetary loss by the year 2020.
Trichoderma asperellum M103, the active ingredient of the product, is characterised as endophytes, which are able to colonise, propagate and sustain itself in the oil palm root tissues for a long time even with a single inoculation.
“Fast growth rate and the ability to produce metabolites cause an “antagonist activity” which inhibits the growth of the pathogenic G. boninense. This environmentalfriendly product is formulated in powder form for easy application in the field and to help nourish the soil.”
Fast growth rate and the ability to produce metabolites cause an “antagonist activity” which inhibits the growth of the pathogenic G. boninense. This environmental-friendly product is formulated in powder form for easy application in the field and to help nourish the soil.
The use of PalmaShield at pre-nursery stage will give better protection to the seedlings from Ganoderma infection when transplanting to the field. The application of PalmaShield to control BSR disease in oil palm plantation is one of the elements in the Principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as well as to reduce the use of chemical fungicides for a sustainable plantation management.
