Sorry Para, do you mean:

A= Thicker leaves
B= More fruit
C= Larger fruit

?

Para, maybe you need to prepare another specimen, D = no spray of your product? This shall shows the benefits of the products?

This post has been edited by MrFarmer: Mar 28 2011, 05:56 PM

Many papaya farm in Perak got hit by a virus where government agencies are now trying to kill off alot of papaya farm to avoid widespread infection.

One of my relative's papaya farm got hit by that,lose alot due to that

Michael : a & b & c was referring to the results that i am monitoring

sorry for the confusion


i am using my veges are the other comparison. havent had the time to upload it yet

Para:

Agree with Mr. Farmer, it would be better if you have a "control" when doing a comparison study. This control will establish your baseline for any expected improvements.

Comparing papaya with cabbage isn't very plausible, for one reason: they are different organisms. The metabolic pathways, nutrient distribution channels, growth rates etc. are all quite different. For instance, a lot of energy and nutrients are channeled to fruit formation (papaya) instead of leaves (cabbage).

quackpack:
Am sorry to hear about what happened. Is your relative planning to venture into any other crops?




Touching on the issue of diseases, I'll have to say this: it is almost always the fault of ignorance on the part of the farming community. Time and again, it has been proven that all the warnings and prohibitions laid out by MOA and Quarantine are blatantly violated because many in the farming community either think the officers are being mean, greedy for bribes, or possibly plain stupid. But the fact stands that there are very strong reasons for putting these prohibitions. MOA is trying to curb the influx of substandard and disease ridden material from entering the country, but for the sake of being "cheap", a lot of such materials are being illegally brought in. And look at what has happened:

(i) Papaya mosaic virus was introduced into Malaysia through illegal imports of papaya seedlings/planting materials from infested countries; currently devastating the papaya industry
(ii) Swine encephalitis was introduced into Malaysia through illegal import of Taiwanese hogs, which were known carriers of the disease
(iii) Cactus moth and a very virulent strain of soft-rot was introduced into the Pitaya industry, devastating thousands of hectares of Pitaya plantings, due to importation of material from neighbouring countries that did not have proper Sanitary and PhytoSanitary certification (smuggling lar...)
(iv) Collapse of tiger prawn industry in Malaysia due to illegal importation of "white rot" infested tiger prawn larvae
(v) Wide spread infection of Fusarium in banana industry has nearly destroyed the banana plantings in Johore; the cause was linked to unsanitary practices and transport of disease laden soil from "hotspots" to uninfected areas.

I can continue with the list, but I think you get the picture. It is a very sad scene, but if the farming community still insists on going their own direction, and doing things their own way, then I hope they will not turn around and point fingers and pour blame at the very people who first tried to help and protect them.

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Added on March 29, 2011, 8:59 amJust a thought:

With the acute shortage of rubber seeds and seedlings, especially in Sarawak for agroforestry, it would an amazing opportunity for anyone to enter into rubber sapling nursery business right now. Do contract bud-grafting with MRB, and sell the saplings.

Two things are needed for cloned-saplings: (i) Rootstock (grown from seeds) (ii) Clone bud-wood graft (need to get this from MRB)

The opportunity comes immediately for interested parties in the form of collecting and germinating rootstock saplings. With the severe swing in weather patterns, seeds are hard to come by.

Again, just a thought.

This post has been edited by Michael J.: Mar 29 2011, 08:59 AM

paraoptical...i'll join you guys next time for the gathering..so confirmed not coming.^^

Please provide more information? I had not heard of this Organic's Day.
I would like to share that The MAHA2010 is very educational and strongly suggest that farming enthusiastic keep track of it. It's held once every two years, last one was in 2010. I was very fresh when I went to the exhibition and did not do my homework, so i really do not know what to look for. Be prepare to spend 1 to 3 days there.

Enzyme making is very easy. Just remember the ratio 1:3:10. I did a couple and found that using young banana suckers promotes fast growth for rubber trees. Enzyme from papaya help rejuvenate unhealthy Avocado & Cashew nuts.


It can also be used to help composting too. You can make your own fertilizer. I made ours by using Rice Husk and or saw dust. Soak it with enzyme for a day of till 3, mix it with chicken dung (very hot), let it compost for a week or so. It's ready for use.

We collect those husk at the bottom which is already composting (or composted).
Permaculture is very interesting too. Solving agriculture problem the natural way and with the least effort.

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Added on March 29, 2011, 9:22 amTotal agreed with Micheal J. Disease control, crop rotation, good farming practice and stay closely in touch with MOA. Make it a routine to check with MOA every month, I'm sure they have an office close to you. Also do check out the courses that they offer.
Speaking of rubber seedlings. It was $3.00 each for individual (village folks), $3.50 for corporate, last year. This year it is $3.50 for individual and heard that come May it might be $5.00




This post has been edited by MrFarmer: Mar 29 2011, 09:22 AM

Yes, that's the pricing nowadays. There's an acute shortage everywhere. Also don't forget that a number of our glove makers are also expanding overseas plantations, so seeds and clones will be needed in huge quantities.

[quote=chinyen,Mar 15 2011, 09:31 PM]

i thought of collecting food wastes from eateries to lower the cost if i plan to go large scale(provided if i do it with a bicycle around the area)...after surveying a couple of them, the feedbacks are better than what i have expected to get. the foodstallers are more than willing to let me have these wastes as food wastes are just rubbish to them and wouldnt cost anything. i asked how would they like to be paid in return for the food wastes that i will be collecting everyday, they reacted like 'why would i charge you to have my rubbish? it's just...rubbish' . i wonder if it is illegal to collect wastes like this? (i havent start though, havent find a right place)

because, according to the law of waste management, it is illegal to gather or assemble large amount of wastes without permission. that means we have to get a permit to do so. if it is avoidable or unnecessary, of course it will be much easier..so is this act of collecting wastes considered as an illegal one?

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Added on March 15, 2011, 9:32 pmoh, thanks TS!!

Hi Chinyen, in The Star today http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...6468&sec=nation,
NGOs keen on recycling business must register

Thursday March 31, 2011
NGOs keen on recycling business must register

MALACCA: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are keen to venture into the recycling business, including for charity, will soon be required to register with the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation.

This is to streamline activities related to solid waste manage- ment. It will be enforced under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act.

Under the Act, licensed private contractors who are involved in garbage collection and other types of waste management will be compelled to register their companies and organisations.

Chief executive officer of the corporation Datuk Zaini Md Nor said the implementation of the Act would help to standardise solid waste management.

“The exercise is not meant to burden the contractors or NGOs but it's for more efficient monitoring and bringing solid waste management to be on par with developed nations,” he told reporters after launching a seminar on solid waste management organised by Southern Waste Management Sdn Bhd in Ayer Keroh here yesterday.

He said the corporation, which was set up in 1998 to oversee the three waste management concessionaires Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Southern Waste Management Sdn Bhd and Northern Waste Sdn Bhd would have more clout under the Act.

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Added on March 31, 2011, 10:31 am[quote=chinyen,Mar 26 2011, 09:38 PM]
anyone made it to the Organic's Day at SS2 just now? there were lots of organisations supporting permaculture,organic farming , composting, enzyme making and a lot more...

[/quote]
Found this in the net. 6th Organic Day 6th Organic Day on the Star TV.

This post has been edited by MrFarmer: Mar 31 2011, 10:34 AM

Hi, would like to ask to do farming biz do you need to go for courses at Jabatan Pertanian or other courses first before venturing into it ? Or some of you are DIY sell leaner ? Just curious.....

thanks mr farmer!!

HI Ohiki, life is full of surprises. Farming is just like any other field, you need not be a mad scientist to venture into it. There are farmers with a Doctorate and there are farmers who had never step foot in a school. I guess as with any field, common sense rule, willingness to learn, experiment and most of all talk with everyone in this field. Start small and expand within you capability. Also you might want to consider have a mentor with good experience, that shall shorten your learning curve. Should you have the resources to go for courses, yes, why not, that shall help. Most important it's the passion inside you, your self motivation as with any fiels, there are up and down.
I am one of those that combine self learning, sharing and communicating with others that shares this passion. I am also lucky to have team up with a partner (mentor) that had spent/ used up some money to learn up farming.
Farming is fun, adventurous, tiring, and it does bring a sense of accomplishment. It is also stress releasing (if you are stressful). I can still remember when i first handle the grass cutter. It was like me against the weeds.
Well, whatever you choose, wish you'll have a happy career.
Say, how I missed food in Ipoh! Maybe I'll do a quick trip to Ipoh for some nice food.

Thank you MrFarmer !

Your words are very inspirational...

You are most welcome. We hope you'll be here to share your thoughts, doubts, success, failure, happiness & sadness in the course of farming. Special thanks should goes to TS, Para (aqua guy), co-TS Rexis (agri guy) & Micheal (the scientist/lab guy ). I'm just here to hitch a ride and help out. Also I have too much time to kill as I'm away from our farm. I'm on my third day with n upset tummy (no brake)
A reminder to all, Health is Wealth! Happiness is key to longevity. When health is down, the fire of passion and motivation goes down too.

Just to share some pictures.

Very sad, only two chicks survived.

Second batch, we manage eight, hopefully all survive.
They run freely on the farm and are expose to natural predators. We are planing to built a coop to offer them better protection. We had also manage to sourced for rice barn and shall order some to supplement their diet.

at the moment, the gathering for this weekend 9th april will be cancelled and postponed to a future date

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anyone has a systematic way to plan a schedule for the things to do at a farm ???

like a timetable or planning schedule for planting ?

im currently looking for this infor and still collecting and learning bee keeping.
I need one box of Italian bee, 2-4 months left at oil palm land,let the bee hunt and find the source,after 4month like tat,can collect the honey.Can collect up to 5-10 litre of honey for one box,depend.
the problem is i dont have the contact list to buy my honey...im planning June/July to start invest this bee keeping.
I think this is low risk investment.

Currently looking for supplier(Italian bee) and buyer(honey).

HI Danny, me have interest too to do some bee-keeping too. Did some reading and this guy claim that Australian bees has higher productivity and are less aggressive (compared to local Malaysian bees).
I think I can most probably DIY the bees House from designs found in the internet. Do you have any good design? This guy import direct from Australia, wonder how he clear customs & veterinary. The Australian Bee queen is packed in a tube, with some honey and a couple of workers bees and is about AUD$25, being ship via post, marked urgent, honey bees.
Care to share if you find suppliers for bees in Malaysia? Preferably in Sabah. Otherwise I shall have to try attracting wild bees.
As for marketing the honey, not to worry too much as Honey can be kept for a long time, hehe.

My (personal) view on Bee-Keeping, this is a viable project if taken as a supplementary/part time project. I guess it's difficult to go in and just do purely Bee-Keeping, as you'll need a big area with flowering plants to provide nectar. It's a very good supplementary project, as most of the cost are only the set-up cost. Bee-keeping equipments (house, suit, glove, hat, smoking machine, honey extractor) last for a long time. The bee queen shall only need to be replaced a couple of years (higher production) and you do not need to feed the bees (only on special occasions). Caring is also minimal. Well Good luck to you & me, hehe.

Hi MrFarmer,i know the local brand honey(giantb) produce in Melaka which is the biggest bee farm in Malaysia.
They do provide a training for outsider and teaching them about bee knowledge.Beside that,they also sell one box of Italian bee and alot of equipment. Can buy the suitable nice design house(many floor and many layer,price also different) from the bee farm.
I think i will pay a visit to the place to learn more about bee-breeding and planning to buy some equipment and one box of Italian bee. From what i know, they do provide a full range of apiservices.
erm,i think marketing need license, so is better to find someone can buy honey from me then they can do a process and labeling to sell in the market.
I am interested with the Australia bee,mind to know how to get it?

Thanks.

as a small part of CSR,

we are allocating 1/2 ac of land for Herb Planting that will be distributed out for those who need it.

I am now in contact with a few herb planters for suggestions on which chinese herbs that are able to help people and then i will be planting those at the farm.

If you have any knowledge of the herbs that can help or the seed, please dont hesitate to PM me so i can plant them to help people

Guys,

Please be very careful when you bring in foreign biological materials (be it microbe, animals, or plants); unless you have an enclosed environment or proper safeguard systems where the chances of escape are almost negligeable(eg. a way of containing the queen and any future queens from escaping or "swarming"), please do not bring in anymore foreign species.

In addition, please make sure whoever you get your bees from are qualified and certified (properly), as you wouldn't want to bring in the disease that is killing off the European and American bees into Malaysia.





This may be my own perspective, but I believe that instead of trading the local type of cultivar for a foreign one, a smart farmer either works with, or around the local cultivar, to maximize its potential. My thoughts are that local cultivars (be them plants, animals, of microbes) have been developing in the local environment for a long enough period to become well adapted to the area, including tolerance to weather fluctuations, diseases, predation etc. By working with (eg. selective breeding, proper animal husbandry etc.) and working around (eg. influencing the environment parameters, nutritive content, growth factors etc.), a more desirable result will be obtained in the long run.

Just because a foreign breed has been noted to have higher yields, faster growth or better temperament elsewhere, that doesn't mean it will suits every locality or country. On the contrary, it might now perform well enough, leading to economic losses; or it might perform too well, and lead to excess and wastage, again causing economic losses. Personally, I'm not sure if the short tem gains are worth the long term losses.