Trichogreen, the Biocontrol Agent and Growth Enhancer for the Oil Palm Industry
Faridah Abdullah
TrichoGreen is a Trichoderma-infused compost which has proven to be effective as a biological control
agent against the basal stem rot disease based on repeated trials using oil palm seedlings as a disease
model.
The production of TrichoGreen is a recycling process, turning agricultural waste into useful products.
The production process is entirely organic, eliminates the need for burning, and is an excellent form of
environmentally-friendly waste management. The industry is sustainable and can generate downstream
activities.
The product was later found to be a good plant growth enhancer as well. The biocontrol property of
Trichoderma is isolate-specific and from extensive in vitro screening, isolate FA 1132 (T. harzianum) was
selected as the best candidate for biocontrol purposes. From nursery trials, TrichoGreen can save as
much as 95% of plants if treatment is given simultaneously to the infected seedlings; the success rate
decreases with increased severity of tissue damage caused to the palm.
The product has been successfully upscaled using a bioreactor, producing x107 propagules/ml within 96
hours, which was then used to prepare inocula and subsequently in its mass production, using palm
pressed fibres (PPF) agrowaste as the feedstock. The PPF were piled into windrows at 50 mt feedstock
per row of 80m x 4m. Together with intermittent supplies of POME (palm oil mill effluents) and scheduled
turnovers in a solid substrate fermentation, the final product of 22mt per windrow at x1011
propagules/kg material, was achieved over 12 to 15 weeks. Field trials over 8 weeks’ treatment thus far
showed that it significantly enhanced growth of the oil palm, followed only by organic compost and
thirdly the routinely-used fertiliser application. Field applications of TrichoGreen on
Ganoderma-infected fields are currently on trial and the results are estimated in 2 to 3 years.
For more information, please contact
Dr. Nayan KANWAL
Email: [email protected]
