Malaysian forestry losses due to tree disease may be reduced without the use of pesticides, thanks to the assistance of the Bio-Protection Research Centre.

Dr Robert Hill, an expert in forestry and plant disease, is developing a bioprotection system in Malaysia for the crop Acacia mangium.

Current nursery practises are reliant on heavy pesticide use to control seedling diseases. Robert is trying to find ways of using the beneficial fungi, Trichoderma, to fight disease-causing fungi in the nursery and plantation. This will subsequently improve the health and survival of plants and reduce reliance on pesticides.

"The target fungi in the nursery are those that cause root rot diseases ("damping off"), while in the plantation the target is Ganoderma - a fungus that causes the progressive killing of trees," says Robert.

"As time goes by, more trees die and losses mount up."

The trees are planted largely in Malaysia's Planted Forest Zone of Sarawak. The company is looking to expand on the 80,000ha it has planted in trees, most of which are turned into pulp and paper.

The project is expected to take several years.

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