University-industry partnerships provide many benefits to both agencies. As far as universities are concerned, the collaborations can increase graduate employability, improve the curriculum towards being more industry oriented, and boost research. In addition, the partnerships benefit the industry in the form of increased business revenues.

Through UMT-industry partnership, a group of UMT lecturers and some 20 agricultural students conducted a study related to lowland strawberry planting and organized a knowledge transfer programme entitled “Biochar, Seaweed and Stingless Bees: Bio Effective Fertilizer Innovation and Pollination Agents for Strawberry Plants” at Big Bee Honey Sdn Bhd.

The knowledge transfer programme was funded by UMT’s Knowledge and Technology Assimilation Grant (KTAG2019). The programme began in November last year and will end this February.

According to Dr Wan Zaliha Wan Sembok, the project leader, lowland strawberry needs not only appropriate temperature and humidity but also effective fertilizing technique and media in order to yield high output.

“Pollination by the stingless bees plays a significant role in the production of beautiful and shiny strawberry fruits,” she said.

She added that stingless bee pollination for lowland strawberries is a technique developed by her fellow researcher Associate Professor Dr Wahizatul Afzan Azmi. As for the media, a mixture of coconut fibre, black charcoal, and foliar fertilizer was used to increase fruit production. The technique used enables the lowland strawberries to grow well at Big Bee Honey Sdn Bhd.

According to Big Bee Honey manager Nor Ehsan Abd Rahman, the company ventured in lowland strawberry planting only recently as part of the plan to introduce a business with agro-tourism concept. Well-known and experienced in bees and stingless bees in Terengganu, Nor Ehsan has been in the industry for the past 16 years and owns a popular Bee and Stingless Bee Honey Gallery at Jambu Bongkok, Marang, Terengganu.

One of the participating students, Nor Fazira Mohd Nadzuar, said that the use of black charcoal and seaweed extract can turn the materials into sources of additional income for the graduating students. Meanwhile, Nurul Syzana Mohd Ariff said that the programme’s implementation at an industry could provide students with better opportunities for industrial training and also future employment.

For futher information, please contact:

Dr Wan Zaliha Wan Sembok

Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science

Email: wzaliha@umt.edu.my

Tel: 09-6684981/019-9885218

Published by:

Corporate Communication Centre,

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu