This report results from the project “Tropical Horticulture in Malaysia”. Modernization of the greenhouse horticulture sector in Malaysiar is required in order to realize better quality of the product, higher yields and less production costs

Elings, A.

Stijger, I.

English

Wageningen Yield 

  
 
Anne Elings & Ineke Stijger 
 
  
  
  
Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture, Wageningen  
November 2010  
 
A demonstration greenhouse for Malaysian 
Horticulture 
Trip report October 2010 
  
 © 2010 Wageningen, Wageningen UR Glastuinbouw 
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any 
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written 
permission of Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Picture front cover: a young rock melon plant in the greenhouse at Serdang. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture 
 
 
Adress : Bornsesteeg 65, 6708 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands 
 : P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands 
Tel. : +31 8 317 8 47 70 01 
Fax : +31 8 317 8 41 80 94 
E8mail : glastuinbouw@wur.nl 
Internet : www.glastuinbouw.wur.nl 
  
Contents 
 
 page 
 
1 Summary 1 
2 Introduction 2 
2.1 Terms of Reference Mission 2 
3 The Demonstration Greenhouse 3 
3.1 Greenhouse 3 
3.2 Crop management 3 
3.3 Crop protection 4 
3.4 Observations to be taken 6 
Annex I. Itinerary 7 
Annex IV. Persons met with 8 
 
 
  
 
1 
1 Summary 
This report results from  the project “Tropical Horticulture in Malaysia”, funded by The Netherlands Minsitry of 
Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation with project number BO81080108106. 
 
Modernization of the greenhouse horticulture sector in Malaysiar is required in order to realize better quality of the 
product, higher yields and less production costs. 
 
Construction of a demonstration greenhouse on the basis of this design has been started early April 2010 at 
Serdang by the Malaysian Department of Agriculture (DoA), and was completed by September 2010. Rock melon 
was planted early October 2010 as a first crop. 
 
The Terms of Reference of the March mission follow directly from the planned activities: 
1. Discuss with DoA staff the activities to be conducted in the greenhouse, now the first rock melon crop has 
been planted. 
2. Train DoA staff on crop management. 
3. Train DoA staff on crop protection. 
 
The major outcomes of the mission are: 
1) The rock melon crops had a good start. Various aspects of crop management and crop protection were 
discussed. 
2) Differences in drain between the greenhouses will be evaluated. 
3) Obervations on the crop and on pest and diseases will be taken by DoA staff on a regular basis. 
4) These data will be exchanged with Wageningen UR. Wageningen UR will, on the basis of this, assit where 
possible. Climate and fertigation information can be obtained from the on8site computer. 
 
Kuala Lumpur, Wageningen, Bleiswijk, November 2010 
 
Anne Elings (anne.elings@wur.nl) 
Ineke Stijger (ineke.stijger@wur.nl) 
 
2 
2 Introduction 
This report results from  the project “Tropical Horticulture in Malaysia”, funded by The Netherlands Minsitry of 
Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation with project number BO81080108106. 
 
Protected greenhouse horticulture in Malaysia has traditionally been concentrated in the highland regions of the 
Cameron Highlands, where land is scarce and production competes with tropical rainforest. Protected greenhouse 
horticulture is a growing activity that has been prioritized by the Malaysian government as an area of cooperation 
with The Netherlands. Also, the private sector sees business opportunities and initiates modernization. Most relevant 
crops are currently rock melon, tomato, cucumber, chillies and sweet pepper; however, consumer’s demand or 
export opportunities may lead to the introduction of other crops. It is desired that these first developments are taken 
further, also for the highland regions in the Cameron Highlands where the majority of horticultural production is 
located. Protected greenhouse horticulture is therefore a promising area where public and private partners meet, 
that can contribute to employment. 
 
Modernization of the sector is required in terms of: 
• location8specific greenhouse designs, taking into account climatic conditions and required cooling system, 
and crop requirements; 
• improvement of planting material; 
• optimization of cultivation techniques; 
• introduction of integrated pest management to substantially reduce use of pesticides and contribute to a 
lower environmental impact; 
• design of above8mentioned components such that they form a well8balanced technology package; 
• better quality of the product, higher yields and less production costs; 
• an enabling environment (government, research) that is conducive to the further development of the 
Malaysian horticultural sector; 
• a Malaysian training and research capacity that can support the local horticultural industry. 
 
Operating a modern greenhouse requires a high level of knowledge with regards to general management, climate 
control, water and nutrient application, pest and disease management, crop management, etcetera. A serious 
training effort is required here. Only then, sustainable modernization of the Malaysian greenhouse horticulture sector 
can further develop.  Close interaction between the Malaysian Department of Agriculture (DoA) and growers is 
crucial to this development, and is therefore a 2011 focus. 
 
WUR met with a wide variety of stakeholders in 2008 and identified the major obstacles and options for the further 
development of greenhouse horticulture in Malaysia. Subsequently, WUR designed in 2009 a greenhouse for the 
tropical lowlands in Malaysia. Construction of three demonstration greenhouses on the basis of this design was 
started early April 2010 at Serdang by the Malaysian Department of Agriculture (DoA), and was terminated by 
September 2010 (except for some last finishing touches). Dutch supply industry (Priva) provided the greenhouse 
installation and computer, and climate and substrate sensors. 
 
Melon crops were planted to the greenhouses early October 2010. 
 
2.1 Terms of Reference Mission 
 
The Terms of Reference of the October mission follow directly from the planned activities: 
4. Discuss with DoA staff the activities to be conducted in the greenhouse, now the first rock melon crop has 
been planted. 
5. Train DoA staff on crop management. 
6. Train DoA staff on crop protection. 
  
 
3 
3 The Demonstration Greenhouse 
3.1 Greenhouse 
The greenhouse construction had started on Friday April 9th., and the first crop of rock melon was sown on October 
6th. The prime goal will be to attempt to grow a good crop and achieve a good production with a nice quality. This is 
most convincing towards growers. This will be supported by a number of measurements on the crop, climate, and 
fertigation. 
 
Rock melon will be the first crop to be evaluated. This crop is relatively easy to manage, and has a 3 months growth 
period, which will provide swift results. Other possible crops for the future are: bell pepper, chilli, japanse cucumber, 
various tomatoes, strawberry. 
⇒  Chillies and bell pepper are commercially most interesting crops to be tested from early 2011 onwards 
 
The greenhouses are equipped with a variety of sensors that enable monitoring of the climate, soil moisture content, 
drain, and fertigation regime. 
⇒ Sensor information will be available on8line for both DoA and WUR, which will enable close monitoring. 
 
Three new greenhouses are available, in which different fertigation techniques can be evaluated: 
8 Greenhouse 1 has a recirculation system, and can for example focus on saving of nutrients. Drain water 
will be in a underground tank a pumped back to pump house to be used and mixed in the next irrigation. 
8 Greenhouse 2 is a more simply type than greenhouse 1 and can focus on the minimization of the amount 
of irrigation water drained. 
8 Greenhouse 3 pumps water through the system (to flush previous warm irrigation water) and can evaluate 
the effect of a lower temperature of irrigation water. 
In order to keep the first demonstration trail managemable, all systems follow system 3. Variation in for instance 
drain can be evaluated. 
⇒ A decision on differences in drain still has to be taken. 
 
Cooperation with growers is absolutely welcome, and can be organized fairly soon to ensure that both sides profit 
from each others’ knowledge. Some sort of long8term interaction can then be developed. 
⇒ Cooperation with growers will be a 2011 focus. 
 
 
Figure 1. Newly planted rock melon in pots filled with cocopeat in one of the greenhouses at Serdang, shown by KC 
Chong. 
 
3.2 Crop management 
 
The intention was to compare the production in the new greenhouses with production in an traditional greenhouse, 
and with production in the open field. However, only one new greenhouse was planted to rock melon, and no 
plantings were realized in a traditional greenhouse and in an open field. The lack of sufficient pump capacity for a 
traditional greenhouse and the open field was the main reason for this. 
4 
⇒  In the future, it is useful to make comparisons with production in a traditional greenhouse and in the open field, 
to quantify and understand differences between cultivation systems. 
 
The rock melon crops should be grown in a normal manner, similar to current practices in Malaysia. 
⇒ Two stems per plant can be maintained. 
 
 
Figure 2. Rock melon plants are topped, inducing the formation of two stems per plant. 
 
Staff of WUR Greenhouse Horticulture is most keen to assist in crop management. It is therefore necessary that 
information on the crop (recorced data, general observations) are shared weekly with Wageningen staff. They can 
then provide feed8back. 
This concerns observations on the crop and pest and disease development (see paragraph 3.4). Information on 
climate and fertigation can be accessed from Wageningen at the computer located on8site. 
⇒ Luuk Runia enables that WUR can access the on8site computer. 
⇒ DoA staff weekly shares recorded data and other observations with Wageningen. 
⇒ Wageningen will provide support with regards to crop management, crop protection, and other issues. 
 
 
Figure 3. A weather station recording the indoor climate (left); climate data displayed by the greenhouse installation. 
 
3.3 Crop protection 
One of the major reasons to produce crops in a protected environment is the lower levels of pests: the plastic and 
screens are a solid physical barrier for insects entering the greenhouse. Details of crop protection were presented 
by Ineke Stijger (see appendix), and can be summarized with the following keywords: 
8 Sanitation 
o all  access doors should be locked at all times 
o always close doors of sluice 
o visitors only by appointment (wear overalls, company footwear and gloves, don’t use cell phones) 
o clean clothing (wash at 95IC), footwear   
o casual staff should not work on more than one nursery on a single day 
  
 
5 
o no trash around the greenhouse 
o no weeds in vicinity of greenhouse 
o dispose of all plant material in a well8covered or closed container (prevent leakage of infected 
water or plant sap) 
o burn plant waste and old cocopeat (do not dump just a few km away – this only serves as a 
source of infestation) 
8 base spraying on observations of pests and diseases 
8 therefore, scout for pests and diseases 
8 train permanent and temporary staff (show photographs of symptoms of the diseases) and instruct them 
properly 
8 use record sheets for scouting 
8 spot spraying where possible 
8 remove infected plants immediately out of the crop in a plastic closed bag 
8 always work in the same direction 
 
  
Figure 4. Trash around the greenhouse should be removed (left);  the sluice in the greenhouse that must prevent 
insects from entering (right) 
 
Analysis of irrigation water 
Irrigation water is taken from a pond in which rainwater is collected. A sample of the irrigation water was taken to 
the Netherlands and tested at a Dutch laboratory on 47 different fungi. Only Pythium sp. was found. It is therefore 
concluded that at the moment, the water is safe for irrigation purposes. However, it is recommended that the quality 
of the irrigation water is tested periodically. 
 
  
 
Figure 5. Rock melon growing in traditional greenhouse with on the leaves symptoms of a virus disease (left), and 
with thrips in the flower (right). 
 
 
6 
3.4 Observations to be taken 
Crop Protection 
8 One person should observe all plants. 
8 Use tags to indicate affected plants 
8 Indicate on a map the precise locations of plants with pests, diseases and viruses 
8 Use the monitoring form sent by Ineke Stijger 
8 Record the levels of pest, diseases and viruses 
8 Remove plants that are infected (especially if the disease spreads easily), and register the location of the 
removed plant. 
8 Spray on the basis of the monitored data 
 
Crop development 
Observations on crop development are taken on 1 plant per row. This provides sufficient information. 
There are two exceptions to this: observations on the number of fruits and the number of shoots are taken on all 
plants. 
8 Take observations on 1 plant per row, so 13 plants in total 
o Select these plants randomly 
o Mark them well 
o Develop a registration form on the computer 
o Send the information every week to Anne 
8 Plant length 
o Daily 
o From the bottom of the stem 
8 Number of leaves 
o weekly 
8 leaf area 
o montly 
o every 2nd leaf 
o Anne will send a protocol 
8 Number of female flowers 
o 25830 days after transplanting 
8 Number of fruits 
o Final number (after pruning at egg size) 
o Location (counted by the leaf number) 
o On all plants 
8 Number of shoots 
o On all plants 
 
Crop harvest 
Data on crop harvest are naturally taken at the end of the season (for other crops this might be different!). 
8 Total number of fruits harvested. 
o From all plants in the greenhouse 
o From the 13 plants selected for development observations 
8 Fresh weight of fruits harvested 
o From all plants in the greenhouse 
o From the 13 plants selected for development observations 
8 Quality characteristics of the fruits harvested 
o Brix 
o Netting 
o skin colour 
o flesh colour 
o grading 
o malformation 
o flesh thickness 
 
 
  
 
7 
Annex I. 
Itinerary 
Thu 21 Oct afternoon Departure from The Netherlands 
Fri 22 Oct afternoon Arrival to Kuala Lumpur; Check8in at Lanson Place, Kuala Lumpur 
Rest 
 evening Dinner with Mr. KC Chong, assistant agricultural council, based in Singapore 
Sat 23 Oct Morning Visit to greenhouses at Serdang, with Mr. Luuk Runia 
 afternoon rest 
Sun 24 Oct morning leisure 
 Afternoon 
+ evening 
Preparation of training programme 
Mon 25 oct morning Meeting with DoA staff, visit to greenhouses 
 Afternoon Training on crop protection 
Tue 26 Oct morning Training on crop protection and crop management 
 afternoon Planning of observations 
 evening Departure to The Netherlands 
Wed 27 Oct morning Arrival to The Netherlands 
 
 
 8 
Annex IV. 
Persons met with 
 
Name Position Address Email / web Telephone/fax 
     
Luuk Runia Consultant to the project Asian Perlite Industries Sdn. Bhd. 
7B Persiaran Camellia 4 
39000 Tanah Rata 
Cameron Highlands, Pahang 
growsys@tm.net.my T: +60135305566 
K.C. Chong Assistant Agricultural Council Embassy of the The Netherlands 
Agricultural Office 
541 Orchard Road 
13801 Liat Towers, Singapore 238881 
Kc.chong@minbuza.nl T: +65 67391121 
M: +65 96311986 
F: +65 67371940 
Mr. Nordin bin 
Mamat 
Deputy Director 
Horticulture Division 
Department of Agriculture Malaysia 
10th Floor, Wisma Tani, Lot 4G2, Precint 4 
Federal Government Administration 
62632 Putraya 
nordin@doa.gov.my 
www.doa.gov.my 
 
T: +603 88703407 
M: +60 12 3683453 
F: +603 88703462 
Mr. Ramli Md. 
Affandi 
Site Coordinator  ramliaff@doa.gov.my +601982286771 
Khasana Ibrahim Principal Assistant Director 
Horticulture Division 
Department of Agriculture Malaysia 
10th Floor, Wisma Tani, Lot 4G2, Precint 4 
Federal Government Administration 
62632 Putraya 
khazana@doa.gov.my 
www.doa.gov.my 
 
T: +603 88703411 
M: +60 12 6016669 
F: +603 88703462 
Ms. Beverlien 
Christine 
Secretary  beverlien@doa.gov.my +601783145310 
Mr. Khairul Izhar 
Lafasa Rais 
Site Officer  Kishar80@yahoo.com +601283849960 
Mr. Muhammad 
Abd Rabiki 
Site Engineer  Hilmias71@yahoo.com +60386352705 
 
  
 
9 
 
10 
 


A demonstration greenhouse for Malaysian Horticulture : trip report October 2010

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