Effects of Location on Performance of Selected Tropical Maize Hybrids Developed in Malaysia

Eighteen selected locally-developed maize hybrids involving ten single, four double and four three-way crosses were evaluated with two open-pollinated check varieties (Metro and Suwan 1) at three locations in Peninsular Malaysia. The study was aimed to compare performance among the hybrids at the locations separately and when combined, to evaluate the genotype x location interaction revealed for yield and other important traits, and to estimate the heritability of the traits. Many hybrids were found to have out-yielded the check varieties. Significant effects of location for grain yield and most other traits indicated that the environmental and growth factors characterising the locations considerably affected the performance of the hybrids. Genotype x location interactions were not significant for the important traits, indicating that the ranking in performance of the genotypes was consistent among locations. Performance of the hybrids was best in Terengganu as compared to Selangor and Perlis. Higher heritability estimates for characters when measured in Terengganu further revealed the uniformity of environmental factors governing maize growth in that location. Based on the overall performance, three single crosses (SC-1, SC-2 and SC-8), one double cross (DC-11) and two three-way crosses (TWC-15 and TWC-17) were found to be highly potential for further trials towards new variety release

Information technology and cost efficiency in Malaysian banking industry

It is argued that information technology can increase cost efficiency of banks by offering opportunities to substitute across inputs into production – for example, to substitute computer technology and information networks for labor. Hence, the transition to a knowledge-based financial sector would lead to banks becoming more competitive, more cost effective and better able in managing risks. As such, those banks that failed to make this transition are less able to compete as they lack the capability to innovate and face higher delivery costs. The main objectives of this paper are to determine the impact of IT on banking efficiency and its economies of scale using a sample of Malaysian banks. To achieve these objectives, stochastic cost frontier method is employed to estimate bank efficiency and panel data approach were used to examine the impact of IT on bank efficiency. The results indicate that the impact of IT on bank efficiency increases with increase in bank size, hence further supporting the process of bank mergers that are currently undertaken in the Malaysian banking industry

Contribution of Nitrogen to Growth of Maize in Legume-maize Rotation on Limed Ultisols

Liming of soils and the use of legume residues in a crop rotation are considered good approaches to reduce the constraints of high aluminium and low native nitrogen affecting annual food crop production in Ultisols. Using this approach the values of nitrogen contributed to maize in three groundnut (L)-maize (M) sequences (LMLM, MLLM and LLLM) in an intensive rotational cropping system were estimated. The estimates were made by subtracting the total N-uptake by maize in the zero N-fertilized monocropping from the total N-uptake by maize under the respective legume-maize rotation. The results showed that it is possible to sustain an increased yield of groundnut and maize on limed Ultisols. In the groundnut-maize cropping system, the average N contribution was after one, two and three successive groundnut crops was 19, 33, and 56 kg N ha-1. The latter estimate is about one-third of the newly recommended total N requirement of maize, 159 kg N ha-1

Evaluation of SPAD Chlorophyll Meter in Two Different Rice Growth Stages and its Temporal Variability

Recently, agriculture production systems have benefited from incorporation of technological advances primarily developed for other industries. Site-specific crop management, well-established in some developed countries, is now being considered in other places such as Malaysia. The application of site-specific management principles and techniques to diverse crops and small-scale farming systems in Malaysia will present new challenges. Describing within-field variability in typical Malaysian production settings is a fundamental first step toward determining the size of management zones and the interrelationships between limiting factors, for establishment of site-specific management strategies. Measurements of rice (Oryza Sativa L.) SPAD readings was obtained in a Malaysian rice paddy field those were manually collected on 2 different rice growth stages(55 DAT and 80 DAT) and measured using a Minolta SPAD 502. Analysis of variance, variogram and kriging were conducted to determine the variability of the measured parameter. Finally, SPAD reading maps were created on the interpretation of the data was investigated

Kesan potasy, kalsium dan magnesium ke atas hasil bijian, kandungan protin dan minyak kacang tanah (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Penambahan unsur-usnur potasy, kalsium dan magnesium tidak memberi kesan yang bererti keatas hasil bijian, kandungan protin dan minyak kacang tanah

Effects of Controlled Released Urea on the Yield and Nitrogen Nutrition of Flooded Rice

Nitrogen (N) loss is one of the key problems faced by rice farmers, and Nitrogen-use efficiency in rice is often poor as a result of high N loss through volatilization, leaching, and denitrification. One of the ways to improve N efficiency is by using controlled-release area (CRU). The CRU generally outperformed granular urea fertilizer in reducing N losses, stimulating plant growth, and increasing N concentrations. A field experiment with the flooded rice variety MR220 was conducted to compare the effect of six different types of CRU fertilizers on yield and N nutrition of a flooded rice cultivar. Bakau series soil (Typic Tropaquept) was used in this study. Rice plants were grown in a cylindrical culvert measuring 90 cm in diameter by 60 cm in height, and all culverts were filled with soil (approx. 210 kg). The soil was flooded and preincubated for 3 weeks to stabilize physiochemical properties before sowing. The experiment was carried out over two planting seasons on the same plot using a completely randomized design (CRD) and was replicated three times. The CRUs evaluated were CDU Uber-10, Meister-20, Meister-27, humate-coated urea, Duration type V, and sulfur-coated urea (gold-N). Fertilizer was applied once throughout the study. For both seasons, CRU-treated plants had significantly greater rice yields [6 t ha-1 (first planting harvest) and 6.2 t ha-1 (second planting harvest)] than urea-treated plants [3.7 t ha-1 (first planting harvest) and 2.2 t ha-1 (second planting harvest)], respectively. The N accumulations in rice straw and rice grains of the CRU-treated plot were significantly greater than in the control. It can be inferred that CRU performs significantly better than granular urea. This finding is important, considering the usually high N losses in rice-growing areas

Status Fosfat Organik dalam Tanah Siri Bungor dengan Sistem Tanaman Tunggal dan Giliran

An experiment was carried out to ascertain the status of organic phosphorus (P) and its contribution to P source for plants under monoculture (maize) and crop rotation (groundnut and maize) systems. The amount of organic P in both cropping systems was in the range of 40-50% of total P in P fertilized soils and 70-80% of total P in non P fertilized soils. Mineralization at a rate 0.2 to 16% of the amount of organic P if/, the soil in a cropping season was detected and this can contribute to 1 to 60 kg P ha'l for the plants. The C:P ratio in both systems was in the range of 140-160:1 which encouraged mineralization

Information tehnology and cost efficiency in Malaysian banking industry

It is argued that information technology can increase cost efficiency of banks by offering opportunities to substitute across inputs into production – for example, to substitute computer technology and information networks for labor. Hence, the transition to a knowledge-based financial sector would lead to banks becoming more competitive, more cost effective and better able in managing risks. As such, those banks that failed to make this transition are less able to compete as they lack the capability to innovate and face higher delivery costs. The main objectives of this paper are to determine the impact of IT on banking efficiency and its economies of scale using a sample of Malaysian banks. To achieve these objectives, stochastic cost frontier method is employed to estimate bank efficiency and panel data approach were used to examine the impact of IT on bank efficiency. The results indicate that the impact of IT on bank efficiency increases with increase in bank size, hence further supporting the process of bank mergers that are currently undertaken in the Malaysian banking industry