Semarak International Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The Preference for Purchasing Rattan Furniture Among Residents in Taman Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia

Paiman Bawon — 2024-06-30

A study was carried out to evaluate consumer knowledge of rattan furniture and determine the factors that consumers prioritize when purchasing rattan furniture. Recognizing that various factors can affect consumer choices, thus rattan furniture manufacturers will need to align with current customer preferences. These preferences encompasses aspects e.g. sustainable consumption, social status, environmental safety and modern design. Data was gathered via random sampling using a questionnaire, and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the frequency and percentage of responses. The questionnaires were distributed via online to 315 respondents in Taman Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, Perak. The findings of the survey indicated that rattan furniture usage was perceived as safe, with 62.86 % of respondents answering affirmatively and 37.14 % negatively. Similarly, a majority (56.83 %) considered the environmental impact of rattan furniture production to be minimal. Additionally, most respondents (89.94 %) deemed rattan's characteristics—flexibility, strength and lightness—suitable for furniture production. The survey also revealed that modernity was the primary purchasing factor for respondents, followed by social status, environmental safety and sustainable consumption. These insights into consumer preferences can guide rattan furniture manufacturers and retailers in making informed decisions regarding production and marketing strategies.

Sensing Technologies and Automation: Revolutionizing Aquaculture toward Sustainability and Resilience

Lee Tzu Namira — 2024-06-30

Given the aquaculture industry’s role at the forefront of addressing food security challenges facing the growing global population, the aquaculture sector also encounters various constraints that can impact its productivity, sustainability and resilience. These constraints including environmental issues, diseases, high reliance on the workforce and competition for water resources. This review provides an overview of the roles of sensing and automation technologies in revolutionizing aquaculture toward sustainability and resilience. Innovations in sensing and automation stand out as among the critical game-changing advancements that are transforming the way aquaculture industry operates. Intelligent sensing technologies offer major advantages in monitoring the environment, animal behavior and growth, as well as early detection of diseases. By integrating advanced smart sensing devices, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and automated response devices, aquaculture operations can be observed and managed remotely in real-time, leading to enhanced productivity, efficiency, resource utilization, environmental friendliness, reduced workforce dependency and competition over water. Through these revolutionary innovations, the aquaculture industry fosters a more sustainable and resilient future while contributing toward food security. Collaborative engagement of all stakeholders is crucial in realizing the full potential of sensing and automation innovations in aquaculture.

Growth Patterns, Status of Well-Being and Trend Analysis of Three Commercially Important Clupeid Species from Selangor Landing Port

Siti Zulaiha Zolkaply — 2024-05-17

Length-weight relationships (LWRs) and condition factors are vital to quickly understanding the fitness and well-being of fish. There is currently no available evidence on LWRs, condition factors and landing trend for these three species and an absence of this information will result in improper management and monitoring of fish species. In this study, the growth patterns, status of well-being and trend analysis of commercially important clupeid species from the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia were studied. Sardinella lemuru, Amblygaster sirm and Nematalosa japonica were selected due to high commercial value and conservation status. S. lemuru was specifically categorized as near threatened by the IUCN with decreasing global populations. Total length (cm) and body weight (g) of S. lemuru, A. sirm and N. japonica were accounted for in this study, which was obtained from the wet market in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The relationships between length and, weight and, condition factors (Fulton’s, K_F; relative condition factor, K_n; Allometric) were assessed. The allometric equation; W = aL^b was used to evaluate the length-weight relationships while K_F = 100W/L^b and K_n = W/aL^b were used to estimate fish condition factor. ARIMA (1,1,1) and ARIMA (0,1,0) models were utilised to forecast the fish landing pattern until 2030. The results showed that the coefficient of determination R² values varied between 0.263 (Sardinella lemuru), 0.5187 (Amblygaster sirm) and 0.8443 (Nematalosa japonica) and b values ranged from 0.0959 to 2.1005. From this, all three fish species have shown a negative allometric growth pattern b<3, reflecting a relatively slow growth rate and size of fish. No positive allometry was detected for any of the sampled fish species. A low value of relative condition factor (Kn < 1) suggests that all the fish species in this study have poor physical characteristics due to inadequate food resources, and unsuitable habitats for expansion of the fish population. Prediction based on Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model showed that N. japonica would increase gradually in the coming years, while S. lemuru would remain constant. This study contributes to the knowledge base for S. lemuru, A. sirm and N. japonica in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and is crucial in terms of understanding the ecology of the habitat for supporting conservation strategies, and the restoration and management of these species in future.

Isolation and Characterization of Beneficial Bacteria in the Guts of Cultured Sturgeon

Faten Nur Aisyah — 2024-05-21

Wild sturgeons have been harvested for their meat and caviar. Sturgeons have been cultivated to stop relying on wild stocks due to depletion. However, sturgeons take a long time to reach their sexual maturity stage. Probiotics have been said to be an ideal supplement to enhance the growth of culture sturgeon. Nevertheless, the study of beneficial bacteria in the guts of cultured sturgeon is very scarce. The purpose of this study is to isolate and characterize beneficial bacteria in the guts of culture sturgeon in Malaysia. In this study, isolation and characterization of beneficial bacteria was done in the guts of 3 different sturgeons which were Acipenser schrenckii (Amur sturgeon), Acipenser gueldenstaedtii (Russian sturgeon), and Acipenser baerii (Siberian sturgeon). The isolation of bacteria was done according to three section of guts which are foregut, midgut and hindgut and isolated on the tryptic soy agar (TSA), de Man Rogosa and Sharpe agar (MRS agar) and MRS agar with 2% of CaCO₃. The total colony count and biochemical characterization including gram staining reaction, catalase and oxidase test were done on the selected colony. Total colony count revealed that hindgut area of all species is significantly higher (6.93 ± 1.39 log CFU/ml) compared to foregut (4.98 ± 2.32 log CFU/ml) and midgut (6.09 ± 0.64 log CFU/ml). Biochemical characterization results showed that all the isolates selected were gram positive, catalase negative and producing clear zones on MRS agar with 2% of CaCO₃. The most potential candidate’s presence in the colony groups were genus Bacillus, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. The results obtained showed that different species contain different types of bacteria. A study reported that host factors can affect the gastrointestinal microbiota of the fish. However, the weight of these three species has a big gap which were between 4.98kg to 10.51kg. Thus, the weight of the host is assumed to be another factor for the different distribution of the colonies. To conclude, further study needs to be conducted on the effect of the weight in the colonization of the beneficial bacteria in guts of culture sturgeon.

Effect of Terminalia catappa Linn. Leaves Extract on Water Quality, Survival and Blood Profile of Betta sp.

Zulhafikar Zukflee — 2024-06-28

Betta sp., also known as Siamese fighting fish, is renowned in the ornamental fish trade for its captivating colours and unique shapes, particularly among male specimens. Despite extensive research, challenges persist in meeting market demand for this species due to high mortality rates during production. Therefore, this study focused on determining the water quality properties (pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature), survival rates and blood profile of the Betta sp. by applying different concentrations of Terminalia catappa leaves (TCL) extracts: 0 (Control treatment), 480 (Treatment 1), 960 (Treatment 2), 1440 (Treatment 3) and 1920 (Treatment 4) ppm on three months old Betta splendens for 30 days. The experiment employed a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications for each treatment. Results indicated that temperature and dissolved oxygen remained unaffected by varying concentrations of TCL, while pH exhibited a significant decrease with increasing concentration, ranging from 7.07 to 5.88. Notably, treatment 2 (pH 6.73) demonstrated a significant improvement in survival rate, achieving 100 % survival compared to the control (pH 7.07) with 46.67 % survival. Moreover, treatment 2 exhibited a significantly higher specific growth rate (0.85 % per day) compared to the control (0.04 % per day). Red blood cell (RBC) content also exhibited significant differences, with the highest RBC content (1.269 x 10^6 µL) observed at the highest TCL concentration (treatment 4, 1920 ppm). Therefore, the study concludes that the most optimal concentration of TCL, as determined from the research, was 960 ppm with a pH of 6.73. This concentration yielded the highest survival rate and growth performance for 3-month-old Betta splendens.