PARIT SULONG, February 1^st - The Institute of Plantation Studies (IKP), UPM organized a knowledge transfer program on durian disease management to the management and field staff of Top Fruits Sdn. Bhd. The program was held at the Research and Development Station, Top Fruits Sdn. Bhd., Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat, from 1^st - 2^nd February 2024. Top Fruits Sdn. Bhd. is one of the leading exporters of frozen durian and its processed products in Malaysia. They have approximately 80 hectares of durian cultivation areas in Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat.

The knowledge transfer program was one of the activities under an industry linkage program between IKP and Top Fruits Sdn. Bhd. This program was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ganesan Vadamalai, the Head for the Laboratory of Sustainable Agronomy and Crop Protection (SACP), and the objective of this program was to provide an understanding of disease concepts, knowledge sharing on durian diseases, control methods, and effective monitoring techniques that can be implemented in the field. This program not only focused on theoretical learning, but the participants also had the opportunity to assess the severity of stem canker disease in durian plots during the practical session. During the program, Dr. Ganesan was assisted by Dr. Erneeza Mohd Hata, Dr. Kong Lih Ling and YM Raja Izzah Nadzirah Raja Othman.

Several follow-up activities have been drawn up under this program in the next two years, which will enable the staff of Top Fruits Sdn. Bhd. to receive the maximum benefits while strengthening the collaboration between IKP and the relevant industry.

Date of Input: 23/02/2024 | Updated: 23/02/2024 | ainzubaidah