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In this article we investigate plantation agriculture as a technology aimed at extracting natural resources, utilising unpaid labour, and installing regulatory authority. Using the oil palm plantation territories of Johor State in Malaysia – a core zone of palm oil production, manufacturing and export – as a case study, we ask how more-than-human assemblages enabled the expansion and refinement of oil palm plantations in Malaysia and contributed to the material transformation of the territory. We also explore how plantations can be mobilised as an analytical device to study the urbanisation of territory through agro-industrial production. To explore those questions, we present three episodes of more-than-human involvement in assembling oil palm plantation territories in Johor. Through the conceptual frame of the operationalisation of territory, we bring into dialogue literature on the Plantationocene with critical urban studies and the history of urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the multi-dimensional aspects to South Indian coolie life in nineteenth and early twentieth century Malaya to interject into decades of scholarship that has trained on a homogenous focus on plantation fieldwork. In search of the nuances of diasporic diversity, I located three memoirs written by European planters of the Malayan plantocracy, set in rubber plantations and selected primarily for their reflections of South Indian coolie life from various socio-cultural angles. My reading of the three memoirs uncovered a host of various micro-narratives surrounding South Indians in the plantation, including references to cattle rearing, legacies of ancient ayurveda practices as well as the participatory communal network between coolie women as wage earners, wives, midwives and mothers. I conclude by arguing that such a host of eclectic tones can effectively bring other stories, to the surface and dismantle monotonous perceptions of South Indian coolie life in Malaya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although practices that employ native species in plantation systems are common, the study of Neolamarckia cadamba Roxb. Bosser (White Laran) and Octomeles sumatrana Miq. (Binuang) in below-ground parameters is limited. The present study was conducted to compare the initial growth performance and below-ground parameters between these two native trees under water-logged and water-stress conditions. The study was conducted near the greenhouse of the Faculty of Tropical Forestry (Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia) for three months. Fifty seedlings of each species were grown in one-meter rhizotrons under Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three different treatments: water stress (T1), water-logged (T2), and control (T3). Height and root collar diameter (RCD) increments, leaf area index (LAI), dried shoot biomass (DSB), root depth (RD), root intensity (RI), root biomass (RB), specific root length (SRL), and root length density (RLD) were recorded. The outcome plainly demonstrated that N. cadamba seedlings were adaptive to both treatments, but O. sumatrana seedlings were more sensitive to water-logged than water-stress conditions. No significant difference was observed between aboveground and below-ground parameters. In conclusion, N. cadamba and O. sumatrana can potentially survive in these conditions in plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies at the border between Indonesia and Malaysia have not received much attention due to geographical factors and neglect on the part of the Central Government. One such area is on Sebatik Island, directly adjacent to Malaysia. Therefore, this study was developed to fill the gap in border studies, by explaining border dependence on neighboring countries. This dependence can be seen through the adaptation strategies of youth who work in the agricultural and plantation sectors in the Sebatik region. Qualitative methods with a case study approach were used. Data were obtained through observations, in-depth interviews, and secondary data analysis. Youth were the main informants; however, we also interviewed stakeholders in the Sebatik area, such as owners of agricultural land and plantations in Sebatik. The results showed that the Sebatik border community depends on Malaysia for trade and thus the agricultural and plantation aspects in the region are oriented to the needs of Malaysia. This ultimately impacts young people, especially those who work as manual laborers, to adapt to changing crops on plantations in Sebatik. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agarwood, the fragrant resinous wood of Aquilaria species, is precious and widely used in medicine, religion, and perfume. Aquilaria malaccensis cultivation and inoculation techniques have been successfully developed in Malaysian plantations to protect endangered Aquilaria species. Several inoculation techniques have been explored in local plantations to stimulate the agarwood resin in a short period. Therefore, in this paper, five inoculants and four methods of inductions were analysed and compared for their effectiveness. Two phases of agarwood harvesting were executed after 18 months and 24 months of the incubation period. The results showed that inoculant IGB711 had effectively stimulated the agarwood formation during 24 months of incubation with mean yield 25.76 kg/tree. Meanwhile, the RAHE Probio inoculant, in combination with the bamboo stick and dripping method, was effective in producing high-quality agarwood. With the latest induction technologies developed in Malaysia plantations, it is now possible to cultivate high-value agarwood in young plantation trees [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White root rot (WRR) disease which is caused by Rigidoporus microporus is a major agricultural disease. The disease affects tropical fruits, forest trees, ornamental trees as well as rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) trees. Although WRR causes significant economic losses to planters, there is no effective method to control this disease. The understanding on the population genetics of R. microporus isolates could mitigate WRR disease in plant management. Therefore, the objective of this work was to elucidate molecular phylogeny of R. microporus isolated from rubber trees. Twenty seven R. microporus isolates were characterised using internal transcribed spacer (ITS), Beta-tubulin (β-tubulin) and translation elongation factor-a (tef1-a) sequences data. Phylogenetic tree analyses of R. microporus isolates were divided into two major groups; the Asian and African groups. However, there was no distinct geographical structuring in the Asian group, suggesting gene flow happened among the populations. Somatic Incompatibility (SI) test and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) marker revealed that the R. microporus in the rubber plantations partially clustered based on geographical regions. The genetic diversity of R. microporus by ISSR revealed four major groups. The findings of the present study provide a baseline data for breeders and plant pathologists to enable them strategise effective and sustainable WRR disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to re-integrate a Marxist perspective of the collective agency of the proletariat into the analysis of the corporate food regime. The article first summarises Marx's key ideas on the proletariat and then discusses their relevance for capitalist agriculture today, arguing that labour makes up an important part of the contested social relations of production in contemporary agrarian capitalism. Drawing on ongoing empirical research with plantation workers and labour activists in Indonesia and Malaysia, it then appraises the current state of class struggle in the palm oil sector, arguing that it is characterised by everyday class struggles and an emerging trade union movement. The article concludes – and this is the 'manifesto' element – by suggesting that a reorientation towards labour in the 'agrarian question' could overcome some of the limitations of the food sovereignty movement and open up new perspectives for the social-ecological transformation of capitalist agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the production of crops is always a concern in the plantation sector since higher production leads to the economic growth of a country. For developing countries, including Malaysia, one of their incomes is crop production. Focusing on crop nutrients supply using fertilizers to increase the production of the crops is better than expanding the plantation areas. The limited knowledge regarding the appropriate nutrients supply and the relation between the nutrients in Malaysia has caused the yield of the crops not meet expectations. Thus, sharing knowledge about the nutrient requirements and the nutrient availability toward the uptake rate of the plants are required. Hence, this work reviews the nutrient supply, the effect of each nutrient on the crop, and the nutrient availability in Malaysia's plantation. A better understanding of the nutrient requirement to sustain crop health helps to improve the quality of the crop, its yield, and soil performance for future agriculture work. Moreover, this work also discusses the impact of fertilizer on the plantation and different types of fertilizer. Additionally, their nutrient release patterns will be discussed, along with the pros and cons of these existing fertilizers. Abbreviations: ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate; SRF: Slow-release fertilizers; CRF: Controlled release fertilizer; SCU: Sulfur-coated urea fertilizer; PCU: Polymer-coated urea fertilizer; SRB: Slow release blending fertilizer; NUE: Nitrogen-use efficiency; AV: Ammonia volatilization; CRNF: Controlled release nitrogen fertilizer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repair costs of farm machinery vary depending on specific geographical conditions of a country. This study was conducted to investigate current data on farm machinery repair costs with respect to characteristics of oil palm plantations in Malaysia. Relevant data were collected through face-to-face interviews and surveys that were carried out at several oil palm estates in Malaysia. Spreadsheet software was used to analyse the collected data. Findings of the study indicated relationships between farm machinery size and annual average repair costs in accordance with specific conditions and type of operations at the plantations. The relationships between farm machinery size and annual hours of farm machinery use, and farm machinery age are also discussed. This study also established a specific mathematical model for estimating Cumulative Repair and Maintenance (CRM) costs of farm machinery in Malaysian oil palm plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 2007–2008 surge in international land deals, many analysts have portrayed this moment of agrarian history as a manifestation of the re-emergence of large-scale capitalist farming. However, official national-scale figures concerning key cash crops in Malaysia and Indonesia rather show the growing importance of smallholders. Although these figures must be read with caution, they nevertheless point to a contradiction. This incites us to revisit the debate on the relation between large and small farms using two important sectors, rubber and palm oil, two major plantation crops increasingly cultivated by smallholders. Then, with regard to the cultivation of rubber in Malaysia and Indonesia, we provide a historical perspective on the institutional and economic contexts in which smallholders have managed to cultivate a growing share of plantation crops. For comparative purposes, we attend to the more recent expansion of oil palm in the region, and to how it has led to the emergence of an important population of smallholders, despite policies biased in favor of large-scale plantations. For both crops, we are paying particular attention to national agricultural policies and their impact on the development of smallholder plantation crop production, and to how they influence the respective weight of large and small farms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of land use that have emerged on the island of Borneo in the wake of an oil palm boom in its indigenous population. An in-depth examination of indigenous land-use changes between 2004 and 2013 in a selected oil palm farming village in Sarawak, Malaysia was conducted using data derived from high-resolution satellite images to examine the spatial distribution of oil palm cultivation. The results found that oil palms are irregularly and randomly distributed. The results of interviews with villagers further revealed a diversity of oil palm planting actors and demonstrated how this diversity relates to villagers' land-use options and decision-making. From the viewpoint of plantation management, the mosaic and patchy cultivation of small-scale oil palm farming appears inefficient and irrational. However, villagers' land-use behaviours conform to their traditional land tenure customs and allow them to secure diverse opportunistic land-use options to survive in the event of a sharp drop in the price of oil palm. The villagers' rationale for oil palm expansion also derives from their complex relationships with the diversity of actors that have interest in their land, including plantations, urban Chinese, and small- and middle-scale developers. It is important to create balanced relationships among these diverse stakeholders in order to maintain mosaic-like village landscape and realise sustainable development of oil palm cultivation in rural Sarawak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical deforestation and land conversion has been an environmental challenge over time and this is likely to have wide-reaching consequences for soil CO2 efflux. Such soil-carbon dynamic disturbances are critical in light of climate change, as tropical forests store almost 30% of global forest carbon. Soil CO2 efflux and environmental factors were determined in four different forest ecosystems of primary Dipterocarp forest, a 50-year-old recovering Dipterocarp forest, and a 5-year-old rubber and oil palm plantation using an automated soil CO2 chamber technique (Li-Cor 8100) with an in-built infrared gas analyzer. The forest sections are located within 1,800 m of each other while the plantation is 1,500 m away in the tropical lowland forest of Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia. The aim was to determine the influence of environmental factors influencing soil CO2 efflux in relation to different forest ages and stand densities as a result of forest disturbance. Multiple regression analysis has been conducted on the relationship between soil CO2 and environmental factors. Soil CO2 efflux rate was found to range from 1.47-13.22 µmolCO2 m²½s-1 (5.37 µmolCO2 m²½s-1), 1.18-10 µniolCO2 m²½s-1 (5.107 µmolCO2 m²½s-1), 0.88-12.07 µmolCO2 m²½s-1 (3.260 µmolCO2 m²½s-1), and 2.33-7.89 |jniolCO2 m²½s-1 (4.678 µmolCO2 m²½s-1) in the 50-year-old recovering forest, primary forest, oil palm plantation, and rubber plantation, respectively. Likewise, the highest forest biomass occurred in the primary forest and was followed by the 50-year-old recovering forest, rubber and oil palm plantation. Although the mean soil CO2 efflux rate did not differ significantly, differences were evident in the environmental factors such as soil temperature and moisture occurring at a range of 23 to 32°C and 15 to 35.56%, respectively, to influence soil CO2 efflux. The highest CO2 efflux rate was recorded in the 50-year-old recovering forest and followed by the primary forest, and rubber and oil palm plantation. The finding revealed a significant and strong correlation between soil CO2 efflux and soil temperature, moisture, and forest carbon input. Furthermore, the spatial variation in soil CO2 efflux was attributed to total above-ground biomass, below ground biomass, and forest carbon stock. We can conclude that the spatial variation in Soil CO2 efflux across the four different forest ecosystems is as a result of forest disturbance and land conversion triggering changes in environmental factors as well as forest carbon, thereby increasing microbial activity to emit soil CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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