In recent years, kenaf has gained significant global attention as a more cost-effective, adaptable, and manageable alternative to other fibre crops. India and China, with nearly 70% of the global kenaf production, have emerged as the leading producers of kenaf plants. While kenaf was traditionally valued for its paper production, it has evolved into a multipurpose crop with diverse industrial applications over the past two decades. Conventional soil-based cultivation methods for kenaf require up to six months for plant maturity. However, in vitro propagation techniques offer a promising alternative that enables faster growth and reduced labour costs. In vitro propagation can be achieved using solid and liquid media, with limited research available on the pure liquid culture method for kenaf. This review aims to introduce and compare the production of kenaf using solid and liquid media, with a specific focus on the emerging country of Malaysia, which seeks to harness the potential of kenaf cultivation for the 15th Sustainable Development Goal, “life on land”, and its contribution to the economy.

Kenaf or Hibiscus cannabinus is an annual herbaceous crop that grows well in temperate regions with high rainfall and abundant solar radiation. This Malvaceae member is famously known for its high-quality fibre that is directly retrieved from its dried stem materials and is useful in various industries, mainly in paper and pulp, bio-composite, textiles and manufacturing. With recent discoveries, kenaf can now be regarded as a multipurpose crop as its usage has been extended beyond its traditional applications, which include applications within the medicinal, pharmaceutical and food industries since its extracts possess several bioactivities that include anticancer, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antidiabetic and antithrombotic abilities along with many more. The plant’s versatile applications and pharmaceutical activities come from its different plant parts such as its leaves, seeds, flowers and stems. This demonstrates that kenaf can also be safely regarded as a zero-waste crop, which is crucial for the sustainable development of any kenaf-based medicinal or therapeutic compounds. However, the biological properties of kenaf are still not known by many as industries mainly focus on the direct application of its fibre material. If this trend continues, the true potential of kenaf could be halted and undermined. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a concise overview of kenaf’s bioactivities that will hopefully provide better knowledge and understanding about this overlooked crop. This paper reviews the latest findings on kenaf’s bioactivities from its extracts that are retrieved from either its seeds, leaves, flowers or stems and provides additional information about its current status in Malaysia.

The development of a highly efficient tissue culture system for indica rice is crucial to speed up the implementation of gene editing in breeding programmes as well as to explore the roles of indica genes. However, because indica rice types are recalcitrant to in vitro response, there are only a few reports on the successful transformation process on indica rice due to recalcitrant response to in vitro response. The present study attempted to identify the effects of plant growth regulator (PGR), carbon sources and different concentrations of gelling agent on embryogenic callus induction and rice regeneration of Oryza sativa var MR219. The PGR used were 1 or 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and the carbon sources were 30 g/L sucrose and maltose. Three different gelling agent concentrations (3 mg/L, 6 mg/L or 9 mg/L) were evaluated. The highest frequency of friable callus induction (87%) was observed in callus induction media (CI) containing Murashige and Skoong media (MS) supplemented with 3 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.3 mg/L kinetin. Histological studies of the calli showed the presence of embryogenic calli with small intercellular spaces compared to non-embryogenic areas which developed on the hormone MS media. The highest regeneration frequency (50%) was achieved when friable calli were cultured on MS medium containing 3% sucrose, 1 mg/L BAP, and 1 mg/L NAA with 9% phytagel. The callus grown on sucrose media showed the highest number (66.13%) of albino plantlets, while the number of albino plantlets on maltose media was smaller (20%). In conclusion, this optimised mature embryo-derived callus of MR219 rice is responsive to regeneration and could be amenable to genetic transformation studies.

The temporary immersion bioreactor system (TIB) is the most recent and advanced type of micropropagation technology for plant regeneration. This technology is preferable in pineapple plant material production because it offers efficient automated operation, highquality products, and the best value for money. At the moment, conventional micropropagation manufacturing has limited mass production capabilities, while conventional propagation techniques are ineffective and limited. The efficacy of specific plant hormones in the culture media was examined to obtain the optimum response of multiplication and rooting of the culture. At the end of the study, it was observed that less gelling agent application with 3.0 mg/L BAP promoted optimum proliferation potential of clonal planting material at a mean of 5.5 shoots per replicate, compared to traditional injar culture supplemented with similar hormone composition, with only 1.63 (mean) shoots within 12 weeks. This study found that using less gelling agent, such as RITA®, a TIB brand, significantly improved the multiplication rate of JengkaPine commercial clones at a cheaper cost and in a shorter period of time. The rate of multiplication was about six times higher (5:3) than in jars using conventional micropropagation methods. In vitro rooting was observed as early as 1 week after transfer to MS media containing 1.0 mg/L indole acetic acid (IAA).

Keywords: Kenaf; liquid cultivation; solid cultivation; in vitro propagation, life on land

Large-scale clonal banana production is required to supply current industry demand. Conventional tissue culture technique needs to be improvised to overcome the high-cost manufacturing and laborious work involved. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an efficient protocol in clonal banana production by using temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) technology which uses intermittent immersion in liquid nutrients. This study evaluated the optimum protocol pathway for efficient Musa acuminata cv. Berangan and Musa paradisiaca cv. Tanduk propagation with the application of TIB system. M. acuminata and M. paradisiaca optimum initiation medium were developed in MS (Murashige and Skoog) media supplemented with 3 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.2 mg/L Thiamine and 0.3 mg/L Thidiazuron (TDZ) respectively. The optimum proliferation medium in TIB developed in MS media supplemented with 3 mg/L BAP for both varieties. The highest number of shoots was achieved in TIB with 20 initial plantlets and a 15-minute immersion with a 6-hour gap along with a 14-day incubation period. Micropropagation of Musa sp. in Temporary Immersion Bioreactor System (RITA ®) has successfully shown significant growth as compared to MS media agar-conventional technique with reduced phenolic content released in both varieties. In conclusion, the production of Musa acuminata cv Berangan and Musa paradisiaca cv. Tanduk by using a temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) system has huge potential to improve the scale production output with lower-cost plantlets