Butterhead lettuce, a salad crop pose to food safety risk issues because it is normally consume raw. The information regarding nitrate and Escherichia coli 0157:H7 contaminations status on Butterhead lettuce in Malaysia is still scanty. Not much work of this nature is carried out locally. Recently, an outbreak of E. coli was happened in Germany, which one of the most stringent countries in term of food safety on fresh produce. Hence, this study seemed inevitable to be carried out. The first experiment, a market study, to determine the level of nitrate and E. coli 0157:H7 contaminations of Butterhead lettuce. The result showed that nitrate levels exceeded the maximum limit but the bacteria contaminations were still under safe limit. The second experiment was to determine the effect of harvesting stage on the nitrate content, quality and nitrate reductase activity (NRA) of Butterhead lettuce, grown by hydroponic and organic systems. After 35, 38,41 and 44 days of transplanting (DAT), the.....

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Gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea is a damaging postharvest disease in tomato plants, and it is known to be a limiting factor in tomato production. This study aimed to evaluate antifungal activities of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts against B. cinerea and to screen the phytochemical compound in the crude extract that had the highest antifungal activity. In this study, crude extracts of hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and water extracts with concentration levels at 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg/mL were shown to significantly affect the inhibition of B. cinerea. Among the crude extracts, dichloromethane extract was shown to be the most potent in terms of antifungal activities. The SEM observation proved that the treatment altered the fungal morphology, which leads to fungal growth inhibition. For the in vivo bioassay, the fruits treated with dichloromethane extract at 400 and 500 mg/mL showed the lowest disease incidence with mild severity of infection. There were 23 ch.....

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A high intake of antioxidants in a daily diet could reduce the risk of several diseases, including certain cancers and heart disease. Tomato is one of the rich sources of antioxidant compounds. However, it has a relatively short postharvest life due to several factors such as postharvest diseases, accelerated ripening and senescence that hasten the losses in quantity and quality. Chitosan and vanillin could be an alternative to disease control, maintain the quality and prolong the shelf life of fruit. This research aimed to evaluate the potential of chitosan and vanillin coating on tomato antioxidant properties during storage at 26±2°C and 60±5% relative humidity. Chitosan and vanillin in aqueous solutions of 0.5% chitosan + 10 mM vanillin, 1% chitosan + 10 mM vanillin, 1.5% chitosan + 10 mM vanillin, 0.5% chitosan + 15 mM vanillin 1% chitosan + 15 mM vanillin and 1.5% chitosan + 15 mM vanillin, respectively, were used as edible coating on tomato fruit. The analysis was evaluated at.....

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Rice is an important crop for producing the staple food of the worlds population, especially in Indonesia. However, national rice production has not been able to meet food needs so rice imports are still needed. Mostly, farmers in Indonesia still use the traditional planting system, namely the Tegel planting system (TPS). New innovations are needed to increase rice production. One of the innovations is to modify the TPS which can provide higher rice yield. This new technology is called the Jajar Legowo planting system which is abbreviated Jarwo planting system (JPS). This technology can increase a higher rice production than the conventional system. The JPS has been developed in Indonesia, but until now many farmers do not know the advantages of this technology. Therefore, this review article aimed to know the advantages of the JPS in rice cultivation compared to the TPS. Based on the literature available, there are several factors that support the success of the JPS in increasing rice.....

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By 2050, the global population is anticipated to reach 10 billion, marking a significant 34% increase and raising concerns regarding food availability. Challenges such as the recent pandemic, which led to workforce and input shortages in agriculture, have made it difficult for many countries to maintain adequate food self-sufficiency (SSL). It is crucial to explore various farming methods to ensure that food remains available and affordable, especially in urban areas where over 55% of the population resides. Traditional agriculture faces issues like poor soil and excessive fertilizer use, which harm the environment. These factors threaten sustainable agriculture and food security, particularly in urban environments. Adopting sustainable soilless technology can enhance urban agriculture by providing a controlled environment for producing healthy food and addressing these challenges post-pandemic. This review, utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analys.....

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Botrytis cinerea, commonly known as gray mold, is a pervasive fungal pathogen that affects a wide range of plant species, leading to significant agricultural losses. The identification of Botrytis cinerea in Malaysia is crucial for protecting the agricultural sector, minimizing economic losses, ensuring food security, maintaining export quality, addressing environmental concerns, and advancing scientific research. In the present research, tomato fruits collected from Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia showed gray mold disease symptoms of B. cinerea. The fungal isolates were examined morphologically for colony colour, growth rate, conidiophores, conidia shape, and sclerotia on PDA and V8 agar. According to the results, conidiophores appeared in grape shape and length was range of 21.26-32.52 μm, ovoid conidial dimensions were in the range of 10.03-16.08 × 7.37-11.15 μm and sclerotia size was range 1.91-4.50 × 1.70-4.00 mm. All isolates were attributed to the morphospecies Botrytis .....

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