ORY-X for Effective Control of Rhinoceros Beetle

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The Star : Dangerous weed Mushrooming

Tuesday 9th December 2014

BY TASHNY SUKUMARAN

Deadly bloom: The dangerous weed with flowers growing wildly in Sidam, Kulim.

SUNGAI PETANI: It has been dubbed the “worst weed of the century”, destroying native flora and crops, causing rashes that can leave humans permanently scarred and damaging the intestines of animals that eat it.

Called Parthenium hysterophorus, it was first detected here in September last year in Ulu Yam, Selangor.

But the highly-allergenic plant has since been spotted in Perak, Kedah and Negri Sembilan, raising fears that it has spread throughout the country.

Initial accounts show that the plant has even resisted attempts to control it through weedkillers.

A species of flowering plant native to Mexico, it can cause severe skin disease and hayfever in humans.

It is also toxic to livestock such as goats and cows, causing fevers, ulcers, anorexia and intestinal damage, and can quickly replace native flora by releasing toxic substances, causing massive crop loss.

Similar in appearance to ulam raja, P. hysterophorus is classified as a dangerous pest under the Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981 and can quickly propagate.

According to Professor Dr S. M. Rezaul Karim of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, this is because one plant, which can reach several feet in height, can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds during its four-week life cycle.

“The seeds can be dormant in the ground for up to 10 years, making it impossible to get rid of.”

In Sg Petani, some areas had been sprayed with herbicide, only to see fresh plants springing anew just days later.

“The weed spreads like wildfire. You can look at examples in other countries, such as Australia which spends millions of dollars yearly trying to control it,” said Dr Karim, who heads the university’s parthenium weed research group.

According to Dr Karim, P. hysterophorus not only competes with other plants for nutrients – it also releases chemicals which damage other plants.

Its effect on people, he said, was particularly worrying as it often grows by the roadside where the public can easily come into contact with it.

“We need to find out how many communities in Malaysia have been affected,” he said.

“In some nations, the rash can become so bad it leaves people permanently scarred. It can take three months for the symptoms to subside,” he said.

Checks by The Star during a recent field trip to Sungai Petani saw the weed growing as high as 1.2m (4 ft) in close proximity to restaurants, paddy fields, businesses and irrigation drains that allow the seeds to hitch a ride to other areas, thus propagating its spread.

According to DOA representatives, the area had been sprayed several times with weedkiller to no avail.

In a media release, the DOA listed several methods of controlling the weed, including destroying the weed in its early stages before it flowers and produces seeds, and curbing it in residential areas using salt water in a 1:4 ratio of salt to water.

The department believes that the weed arrived in Malaysia by way of seeds being carried through imported machinery or in fertiliser.

Among the known affected areas are Kinta, Hulu Perak, Selama, Perak Tengah, Manjung, Kuala Kangsar, Pokok Sena, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Muda, Kota Setar, Seremban and Kuala Pilah.

The DOA’s Plant Biosecurity Division has formed a technical committee on the control, containment and removal of P. hysterophorus that will come up with a standard containment operating procedure and work with state governments to identify and monitor problem areas as well as destroying existing weeds.

State agricultural officers have been briefed on how to deal with the problem while an exercise to identify places where the weed grows is already underway.

Desmodium triflorum

Desmodium triflorum

Synonym : Hedysarum triflorum, Meibomia triflora

Origin & Distribution 

Desmodium triflorum is native to ther Old World tropics and subtropics.   It is currently pantropical.

Environmental Significance

Capable to grow on wide range of soil, tolerant to draught and fire, highly resistant to grazing and mowing, thus very difficult to get rid of.

Considered invasive and notorious weed, especially for lawn.

Scented Climbers

 Artabotrys hexapetalus

(manoranjini)

Hylocereus undatus 

(火龙果 dragronfruit)

Jaminum sambac 

((茉莉花 bunga melur)

Monsoa hymenaea

Odontadenia macrantha

Quisqualis indica ( akar dani )

Stephanotis floribunda

Strophanthus preussii

Telosma cordata (夜香花)

Tetracera loureiri

Vallaris glabra ( kesidang )

NST : Malacca Preserves 234 ‘Heritage Trees’

4 NOVEMBER 2014

By Kelly Koh

MALACCA: The Malacca Historical City Council (MBMB) has identified 234 trees which will be declared heritage trees.

Mayor Datuk Zainal Abu said they were chosen because they were planted by dignitaries, had reached a certain age, were unique and had iconic status as representatives of certain areas, were high in value, had served the community, for example as a gathering point, and had historical value.

“We have appointed a committee to identify the trees and label them to protect them. These trees must be maintained to provide a green and cooling environment in the city,” he said at the launch of TV3’s Jom Heboh carnival at Taman Bunga Merdeka in Banda Hilir, here, recently.

Zainal said this was part of the local council’s efforts to maintain the status of Malacca as a Unesco World Heritage Site. He said trees from 40 species had been identified, including Melaka, hujan-hujan, batai laut, angsana, mempari, mambu and ketapang.

“They are in Taman Bunga Merdeka, Jalan Kota, Jalan Parameswara, Jalan Laksamana, Jalan Merdeka St Paul Hill, areas near the MBMB swimming pool, areas near the Malacca Sultanate Palace and Dutch cemetery.

“The trees, 36 of which are more than 100 years old, are important assets for future generations,” he said, adding that they were also tourist attractions.

Also present were state Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology, Green Technology, and Innovations Committee deputy chairman Md Rawi Mahmud, Media Prima Television Networks chief operating officer Seelan Paul and TV3 brand management general manager Siti Nurlisia Mohd Nadzri.

Media Prima Bhd also fulfilled its corporate social responsibility through the planting of several species of trees, including the Melaka tree, alongside the release of 300 butterflies and a variety of bird species.

Also present were local celebrities such as Fiza Sabjahan, Zaim Helmi, Maria Tungku Sabri, Eina Azman, Qazeem Noor, and Munir.

Tree Measurement

Allelopathy

Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial (positive allelopathy) or detrimental (negative allelopathy) effects on the target organisms.

Allelopathy is characteristic of certain plants, algae, bacteria, coral, and fungi.  Allelopathic interactions are an important factor in determining species distribution and abundance within plant communities, and are also thought to be important in the success of many invasive plants.

List of allelopathic plants

Shrubs

Adenostoma fasciculatum ( chamise )

Allaiaria petiolate ( garlic mustard )

Artemisia californica ( California sagebrush )

Asparatus officinalis ( asparagus )

Bassia scoparia ( burning bush )

Centaurea maculosa ( spotted knapweed )

Chromolaena odorata ( Siam weed )

Cyperus rotundus ( nut grass )

Encelia farinose ( brittlebush )

Forsythia spp

Helianthus annuus ( sunflower )

Lantana camara ( bunga tahi ayam )

Rhododendron spp

Salvia leucophylla ( purple sage )

Sambucus spp ( elderberry )

Solidago spp ( goldenrod )

Trees

Ailanthus altissima ( tree of heaven )

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ( Manzanita )

Casaurina equistifolia ( rhu pantai )

Delonix regia ( red flame )

Eucalyptus spp

Juglans nigra ( black walnut )

Pinus spp ( pines )

Prunus laurocersus ( cherry laurel )

Crops

Avena spp ( oats )

Coffea Arabica ( coffee )

Hordeum vulgare ( barley )

Nicotina tabacum ( tabacco )

Oryza sativa ( rice )

Secale cereal ( rye )

Triticum aestivum ( wheat )

In the wilder area, oaks have little growing underneath..this was a eerie, foggy morning.

Casuarina equisetifolia litter completely suppresses germination of understory plants as shown here despite the relative openness of the canopy and ample rainfall (120 cmyr) at the location

 Eucalyptus have rather suppressed other vegetation spp. through allelopathic affect

Manzanita ‘circle’ can be easily seen and means “Don’t plant here!”