Agronomic Assessment of Kenaf Accessions for Agroindustrial Application in Malaysia

摘要

Agronomic evaluation of kenaf accessions/cultivars on six sites covering several soil types and climatic conditions in Peninsular Malaysia indicated suitability and potential for forage and fiber production from promising kenaf accessions. Six forage-types and 6 fiber-types of kenaf accessions/varieties were evaluated for dry matter yield of forage and fiber. The average forage dry matter yield ranged from 5.4 to 9.9 tons/ha over two 6-week cuttings after establishment at about 200,000 plants/ha and from 9.6-13.9 tons/ha at 500,000plants/ha. Crude protein in kenaf leaves ranged from 21 to 34%, in stalks from 10-12%, and in whole plant from 16 to 23%. Kenaf can be ensilaged effectively. High quality fiber was obtained using the water retting techniques. Dry matter yield of retted bast fiber varied from 2.5 to 3.5 tones/ha. It takes from 90 to150 days from planting to harvesting for fiber production. Adequate moisture is necessary for good growth of kenaf. Water consumption was estimated to reach a maximum of 10-12 mm/day at maturity. Kenaf showed no significant response to nitrogen fertilizer but responded to phosphorus application up to 200 P_2O_5 /ha. The susceptibility of kenaf accessions to several fungal pathogens and pests such as Phytophthora, Fusarium wilt and root-node nematode infestation is a major constraint in kenaf cultivation. The larvae of Anomis flava (a moth) damaged plants by skeletonizing old and young leaves. Priority is to select leafy and late flowering (photoperiodically insensitive) varieties or cultivars which have high resistance to the above pest and disease problems. Immediate attention has been given to the mechanization of kenaf cultivation and processing using existing machinery and to assist in expediting the commercial production of kenaf by reducing production cost.