Dr. Latifah binti Omar - Best Oral Paper Award : Total Nitrogen, Ammonium, and Nitrate Released From Urea and Encapsulated Urea with Rejected Sago Starch in The 11th Kuala Lumpur International Agriculture, Forestry & Plantation Conference (KLIAFP11) 31 May 2022 – 1 Jun 2022

Dr. Latifah binti Omar - Gold Medal Award, Canadian Special Award of Excellent, Organizer’s Choice Award Refuses Become Resources for Urea Retention Improvement,  2022 International Inventation Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN2022), 26 August 2022

Dr. Latifah binti Omar - Bronze Award For the invention/Innivation of Self-built Mini Rotary Machine for Urea Coating, Innovation Teknology Expo (INTEX2022), 15 – 16 Jun 2022

Dr. Zakry Fitri Bin Ab - Best Poster Presentation,  Pathogenicity of Trichiderma Longibrachiatum in red lettuce (Latuce sativa.L) and the potential of rhizobacterial antagonists to manage the disease 7th Asian PGPR International Conference for Sustainable Agriculture, 23 – 26 Ogos 2022

Prof. Madya Dr. Leong Sui Sien & Prof. Dr. Patricia King Jie Hung - Silver award, Title: probiotic feed for poultry, Congress: Innovation Technology Exposition 2022 (Intex 22), 15 – 16 Jun 2022

Dr. Ellie Teo Yi Lih & Mohamad Aliff Ali Rahman (pelajar pascasiswazah Master) - Best Video Presentation Award - Chemistry, Facile Preparation and Characterisation of Oxygen-rich Reduced Graphene Oxide for Improved Electrochemical Performance: A Preliminary Study, 5 Julai 2022

Keratan Akhbar Kosmo - Penyelidik bantu tingkat hasil beras Bario - (Prof. Dr. Patricia King Jie Hung, UPM Kampus Bintulu), 7 November 2022

Keratan Akhbar The Borneo Post - Top women researchers in Miri to share their experience, 10 March 2022

Keratan Akhbar Utusan Borneo - Rakyat sifatkan fasa peralihan ke endemik bertepatan keadaan, 10 Mac 2022

Our IEB Deputy Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Patricia King Jie Hung, Head of Ethnic Borneo Laboratory, Dr. Tunung Robin and Research Associate Dr. Latifah Binti Omar were celebrated in the newly-launched book ‘Sarawak Women in Scholarly Writing’ that acknowledges the outstanding research works of 51 Sarawakian women. The event took place at Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex on 21 February 2022, and was commissioned in connection with the state-level Women’s Day celebration.

Bulletin Institut Ekosains Borneo Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus (Inaugural Edition, More info, Please download HERE

Prof. Dr. Ahmed Osumanu Haruna at Universiti Putra Malaysia Kampus Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia who is the current Head of Biodiversity Borneo Laboratory, Institut Ekosains Borneo, Universiti Putra Malaysia and his research team, Dr. Latifah Omar (Universiti Putra Malaysia Kampus Bintulu), Dr. Kevin Muyang Tawie Sulok (Malaysia Pepper Board Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia), Dr. Adiza Alhassan Musah (Management and Science University Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Malaysia), Shajaratulwardah Mohd Yusob (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Malaysia), and Rosliza Shamsuddin (Integrated Agricultural Development Area, Malaysia) won a Gold Medal at the 2021 All American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo held virtually on 11-13 August 2021 in Southern Utah University, United States of America (USA). The innovation which won the gold medal is entitled “Healthy Soils for Healthy Food and Life”. The 2021 All American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo was organized by Southern Utah University, USA. Soil degradation hinders good crop yield, food quality, and net profit because of loss of organic matter, nutrients, in addition to causing soil acidity with a build of aluminium, iron, and manganese. Also, low food security and farmers’ income is because of poor soil fertility, low crops productivity, and expensive chemical fertilizers. The award winners transformed vegetables, fruits, pineapples, and animal wastes into solid and liquid amendments which are able to improve soil productivity, cash crops growth, yield, fruit/grain quality, and economic income on nutrient deficient organic and inorganic soils.

The head of Biodiversity Borneo Laboratory, Institut Ekosains Borneo (IEB), Prof. Dr. Ahmed Osumanu Haruna (Universiti Putra Malaysia Kampus Bintulu) and Research Associates, Dr. Latifah Omar (Universiti Putra Malaysia Kampus Bintulu), Dr. Kevin Muyang Tawie Sulok (Malaysia Pepper Board Kuching, Sarawak), Dr. Adiza Alhassan Musah (Management and Science University Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), and Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute Sessang, Sarawak) had won Gold Medal in 10^th World Invention Creativity Olympics (WICO 2021) which was held virtually from July 10 – 12^th 2021 in Seoul, Korea with innovation entitled “Enhanced soil quality with organic amendments translates into improved crop yield and food quality”. In the same event, the innovation also won Special Award which conferred by the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA). Upon adoption, the innovation proves to be agronomic, socio-economic, and environmental efficient because it improves soil health, net profit, crops yield and quality in addition to reducing the polluting effects of unwanted agro-industrial wastes on the environment and human health. The WICO 2021 was organized by Korea University Invention Association (KUIA), supported by the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA), Asia LOHAS News, the Patent Invention Magazine, Korea Brain Cooperation Agency (KBCA), Kongju National University and Daejin University in Korea.

The innovation of Prof. Osumanu, Dr. Latifah, and on how soil conditioners from agro-wastes could be used to improve soil and crop health won 8 research awards in Euroinvention 2021 held in Romania this year. They won 6 Special Awards from Canada, Turkey, and Romania. Also, they won two Gold Medals from the Juries of Euroinvention 2021. They were considered one of the best inventors.

We produced high quality soil conditioners, namely fermented plant juice, fermented fruit juice, palm kernel shell biochar, and kitchen waste compost from a number of agro-wastes for organic farming. Sulok, K.M.T., Ahmed, O.H., Kew, C.Y., Zenhder, J.A.M., Jalloh, M.B., Musah, A.A., Abdu, A. (2021). Chemical and biological characteristics of organic amendments produced from selected agro-wastes with potential for sustaining soil health: A laboratory assessment. Sustainability, 13(9):1-15. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4919

An on-farm study was carried out to determine the movement of nitrous oxide in pineapple cultivation. Also, we determined if the peat soil temperature and nitrous oxide emission were related. Nitrous oxide movement in peat soils under pineapple cultivation on peat lands occurs horizontally and vertically, regardless of season, and there is a need to ensure minimum tilling of the cultivated peat soils to prevent them from being a nitrous source instead of a nitrous sink in pineapples cultivation on peat. The peat soil temperature and nitrous oxide emission do not correlate. Jeffary, A.V., Ahmed, O.H., Heng, R.K.J., Choo, L.N.L.K., Omar, L., Musah, A.A., Abdu, A. (2021). Nitrous oxide emissions in pineapple cultivation on a tropical peat soil. Sustainability, 13(9):1-15. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4928

Our paper discusses how we produced and used biochar to encapsulate fertilizers as a controlled release fertilizer to improve nutrient use efficiency of crops. Lee, Y.L., Ahmed, O.H., Samsuri, A.W., and Zakry, F.A.A. (2021). Biochar tablets with and without embedded fertilizer on the soil chemical characteristics and nutrient use efficiency of Zea mays. Sustainability, 13(9):1-15. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4878

Prof. Dr. Osumanu, Dr. Latifah, and other team members' pioneering approaches in detoxifying problematic soils to rejuvenate their productivity using organic  and inorganic amendments won Best Award and Gold medal at Malaysia Technology Exhibition 2021. The approaches translate into improved crop productivity and quality of crop yield.

Latest publication on how biochar rejuvenates highly weathered acidic soils which are high Al and Fe to productive soils resulting in improved rice yield and return of investment

The paper talks about how we used zeolite to regulate nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium release to improve agronomic and environmental efficiency in rice cultivation. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/379

This papers uncovered how pineapple leaves ash mitigates carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide to enhance pineapple productivity on tropical peat soils. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/3/1014

The paper optimizes rice husk and urea use in paddy cultivation for improved soil and rice productivity. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1832

This study provide an insight on ready-to-eat food consumption practices and perceptions among university students and employees. https://www.myfoodresearch.com/uploads/8/4/8/5/84855864/fr-2020-357.pdf

Updated:: 05/01/2023 [lanz]