University of Bath

Dr Lisa Isted
Graduate Office
Assistant Registrar
Bath BA2 7AY
United Kingdom

Telephone 01225 383234

Facsimile 01225 386366
http://www.bath.ac.uk/ask-admissions/
http://www.bath.ac.uk/grad-office/

Mr Mohd Hefni Rusli
No. 5257, Jln Bbn 9/1C
Taman Desa Anggerik, Bandar Baru Nilai
Nilai, Negeri Sembilan 71800
MALAYSIA

Applicant Number: 089110313
Please quote this in all correspondence
Date of offer: 18 September 2008
Please respond within 2 weeks to secure your place
Dear Mr Rusli

OFFER OF ADMISSION TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Thank you for your application to study at the University of Bath. I am very pleased to offer you a conditional place, in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, on the MPhil/PhD Research in Biology (full-time) programme. It will start on 29 September 2008 and is expected to end on 28 September 2011. The JACS code for this programme of study is C100.

Supervisor(s): Dr Richard Cooper

Area of Research: Detection, control and resistance expression in Fusarium oxysporum vascular disease of oil palm

In order to register as a student of the University of Bath, you are required to meet the standard terms and conditions set out on the back page of the enclosed Choosing Bath booklet. It is your responsibility to read these very carefully and make sure that you understand them.

In addition, you are required to satisfy the following specific conditions before you may register:

You are required to provide the Graduate Office with your undergraduate degree certificate and transcript (either original documents or copies authenticated by the awarding University), confirming the award and classification/mark of your degree.

We will write to you again to confirm your place once you have met the condition(s) specified above. Please do not wait until you have met the conditions before confirming that you wish to accept the place offered to you.

Your fee status has been assessed as Overseas. Please contact us immediately if you think that this is incorrect.
Fees payable for this programme in the 2008/9 academic year (fees in subsequent years are likely to rise): £12,750.
Training Support Fees: £10,000 (Years 1 & 2); £8000 (Year 3).
Please note that if your fees are to be paid by a sponsor other than the University or a UK Research Council, you will be required to provide the University with written evidence from your sponsor confirming the amount of money to be paid before you will be able to complete registration.

We understand that you are being sponsored by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

The University Regulations permit full-time students registered for a PhD to submit a thesis for examination not less than two and not more than four years after initial registration. Full-time students normally complete the necessary research for a PhD within three years. Once the research is completed, and provided that the minimum period of study required for the degree has elapsed, students may transfer from full-time to ‘writing up’ status, for which a reduced fee is payable. The programme has an initial study period during which the student is formally registered for the degree of MPhil. Intending doctoral students transfer from MPhil to PhD registration upon successful completion of a transfer assessment.

Enclosed with this letter is a reply form for you to complete and sign to indicate whether you wish to accept this offer. Also enclosed is a Choosing Bath booklet which contains further information about postgraduate study at the University of Bath.

You are encouraged to visit the University website, the address of which is given at the top of this letter. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and welcoming you to the university in due course.

Yours sincerely



Dr Lisa Isted
Assistant Registrar
Graduate Office

Enclosed:

Offer Reply form, Choosing Bath booklet (including Standard Terms & Conditions)

Poster paper presented in PIPOC 2007

TITLE: TRICHODERMA HARZIANUM AS A GROWTH ENHANCER OF OIL PALMS IN THE FIELD

1Mohd Hefni Rusli, 1Faridah Abdullah, 2Zainal Abidin Mior Ahmad and 3Arbakariya Mohd Ariff

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia,43400 Serdang, Selangor.
2Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia.43400 Serdang, Selangor.
3Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia,43400 Serdang, Selangor.
Email: mohd_hefni81@yahoo.com.

Abstract

The effect of Trichoderma compost on the growth of oil palms was investigated. The Trichoderma compost was obtained from its producers and tested for enhancement of growth on field palms. Field trials were conducted at at Mungka Estate, Segamat, Johor. This trial was given the same treatments and assessed over six months. Five treatments were made, namely applications of Trichoderma compost, fertilizers, commercial compost, 1:1 Trichoderma compost with fertilizers and1:1 Trichoderma with commercial compost. No applications were made on the control. Five growth parameters were assessed, namely stem girth, frond production, pinnae number, frond length and chlorophyll content in the leaves. Based on a summation of parameters, the best growth from the trial was shown by seedlings treated with Trichoderma compost and 1:1 Trichoderma compost with fertilizers. This was followed by fertilizers, commercial compost, 1:1 Trichoderma with commercial compost and finally the control, in descending order. Thus, Trichoderma compost was confirmed to be a good growth enhancer for both seedlings in the nursery, as well as for young palms in the field.

A published journal by me

This paper has been published in Pertanika Journal. (More to come!!)

Faridah Abdullah, Mohd. Hefni Rusli and Noor Haida Sebran. Bacteria from an oil palm agricultural system and their interactions with Ganoderma boninense and Trichoderma harzianum. 2006. Pertanika J.Trop.Agric.Sci.28 (2): 95-102 (2005)

Bacteria from an oil palm agricultural system and their interactions with Ganoderma boninense and Trichoderma harzianum

Mohd. Hefni Rusli, Faridah Abdullah & Noor Haida Sebran
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract
The fungus Trichoderma harzianum (isolate FA 1132) has shown potential as a biological control agent of the oil palm pathogen Ganoderma boninense. It is currently being produced on a large scale as a Trichoderma-infused compost for field trials. This study isolated bacteria from such a compost as well as from oil palm rhizospheres. They were screened for antagonistic reactions towards G. boninense after which the selected strains were tested for compatibility with FA 1132. Four out of six species of bacteria showed fungistatic activity towards G. boninense, with Corynebacterium urealyticum giving the highest percentage inhibition at 86.6%. Except for C. urealyticum, all the other isolates were compatible with the fungus FA 1132. This study deduced that Chromobacterium violaceum and Burkholderia cepacia may have the capacity to act as respective individual inoculants to inhibit the growth of G. boninense or used in consortium with T. harzianum (FA 1132) for enhanced performance in a biological control formulation. This study also deduced that the efficacy of T. harzianum could be reduced if the population of C. urealyticum is high in the oil palm rhizhosphere.

Keywords: Ganoderma boninense, oil palm, biological control, bacteria, Trichoderma harzianum.

At last....

After anxiously waiting, the letter finally arrived...Its the scholarship offer letter from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). Thanks a lot.

More update on Pithaya Disease aka the role of PlantClinic

FW: 068/08 Pithaya disease in Malaysia
Thursday, July 3, 2008 10:33 PM
From:
"PlantClinic" Add sender to Contacts
To:
mohd_hefni81@yahoo.com

Hi Hefni

I've forwarded this to you without the attachments, as it bounces back. Our import licences can be found on the GPC website which is www.globalplantclinic.org Please respond to say if you would like to send samples

regards
paula

-----Original Message-----From: Eric Boa Sent: 23 June 2008 23:36To: PlantClinicSubject: RE: 068/08 Pithaya disease in Malaysia
Paula -

Me too, Don't have another email address.

E

From: PlantClinic Sent: 18 June 2008 15:03To: Eric BoaSubject: FW: 068/08 Pithaya disease in Malaysia
Hi Eric

Could you forward to Hefni, as this bounced back

cheers
p

-----Original Message-----From: PlantClinic Sent: 18 June 2008 15:00To: 'Hefni Rusli '; Eric BoaSubject: 068/08 Pithaya disease in Malaysia

Dear Hefni

I understand from correspondence with Dr Boa, that you have isolated a fungal pathogen which requires identification. If you wish to send cultures please follow the instructions Series 2, and Series 5 below. The licence will also need to be printed out to send with the cultures. I've also attached the sample record sheet which should accurately correspond to samples that you sent to the Global Plant Clinic, see SR1-C.

We can also receive plant material, should you wish advisors to do more isolations from your Pithaya plants, see Series 1. I have also attached the import licence which should be printed out and sent with your samples.

Please contact advisors should you require any more assistance before sending samples and we will be happy to help. Your unique enquiry number is 068/08, and should be used on all correspondence and emails in the subject header as above. If you would like to find out more about the GPC, please visit our website www.globalplantclinic.org or www.apsnet.org/online/feature/clinic/ for more details on our service.

Kind regards

Paula Kelly

Global Plant Clinic Co-ordinator CABI Bioscience UK Centre (Egham) Bakeham Lane Egham Surrey TW20 9TY United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 1491 829069 Email: plantclinic@cabi.org Visit us at www.globalplantclinic.org and www.cabi.org

Bagworms invasion...(entomology world)

• I was away to Jakarta for 2 days this week on a personal matter. Then, attending a 1 day ' Workshop on Advances in Ganoderma Research on Oil Palm' jointly organized by Faculty of Agriculture and Institute of Tropical Agriculture, UPM.

• I was very delighted to meet all scientists who are currently doing a research on Ganoderma. We shared, discussed and talked about our research. One thing that I like, thus we are from different companies (to name some, Felda, IOI, MPOB, Sime Darby, United Plantation, Aseatic and many others), the community was very warm and cozy. They’re all very professional and excellent in their works (Of course some do and don’t..haha) and I have admired them a lot. I am looking forward to meeting them again.


• 
  Then, I went to Serting Hilir to see my plot trial with my boss and built up some important points to the manager in charge. For this entry I just want to share about the bagworms attack facing by them.
  
  There are 3 species of bagworms that can give oil palm plantation a lot of damage.
  These 3 species are:-
  
  Metisa plana
  Setora nitens
  Mahasena corbetti
  
  However, attack by M.plana is more perilous compared to the other two species. It can give you a significance impact towards the plantation. You can easily recognize between the species by differentiate their cocoon. They also have a different life cycle which is very crucial in order to combat their attack. M. corbetti has 141 days of life cycle (95 days as a larva).


• 
  
  Solution
  
  By using cypermethrin through trunk injection or power spray depend on the size (age) of the palms. The palm census has needed to be done first in order to choose for the right time to apply the cypermethrin. This is very important as we need to know their feeding time before the back into the cocoon. Once they ate the leaves injected by cypermethrin (at the trunk or by power spray as explained earlier) then, they’ll die.
  

(Attack by M. plana)

(M. corbetti in Serting Hilir)

More Pictures..