Problem statement:In recent years Jatropha curcas has drawn the world's attention as it has the potential to replace fossil fuel as biodiesel. However, the biggest setback in Jatropha cultivation in Malaysia is the low percentage of fruit set and the high ratio of male to female flowers. In order to further understand the flowering and fruit characteristics of Jatropha, floral and fruit development timeline is needed in order to develop solutions for the problems in low fruit set. Approach: This study described the flowering behaviour of Jatropha curcas cultivated under Malaysia and tropical climate. Investigation was carried out by observing the floral morphology, flowering sequence of pistillates, floral anthesis time, flower daily anthesis, flowering and fruiting plant behaviour, flower sex and fruit set ratio. Floral reproductive organs were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Results: Jatropha is monoecious and produces individual flowers in a dichasial cyme. Each Jatropha inflorescence has at least six compound cymes. Male flower anthesis started the earliest at 12.00 am and again at 6.10-6.46 am.

The application of traditional taro propagation methods for large-scale cultivation would be insufficient to meet the high demand for quality planting materials. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an in vitro micropropagation technique for two local taro cultivars (cv.), Wangi and Putih. Taro cormels were collected from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) germplasm (Serdang, Malaysia). Explants were taken from the shoot tip of cormels and initially cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media for four weeks. The explants were then transferred to different multiplication media supplemented with different types and concentrations of cytokinins such as 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and Thidiazuron (TDZ). Shoot production was quantified after six weeks of culture. The highest mean number of new shoots was produced by the Wangi cultivar on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP (2.10 shoots), MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l TDZ (2.18 shoots), and Gamborg B5 medium supplemented with 6.0 mg/l BAP (2.43 shoots). The maximum average number of the Putih cultivar shoots was obtained on MS supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP (3.57 shoots). MS basal media was used for root initiation, as it produced an average of 25 roots with an 11-cm length. Various types of substrate mixtures were used during acclimatization. The best acclimatization substrate for the Wangi cultivar was 100% peat soil, whereas the Putih cultivar grew optimally in a combination of peat and perlites at a 1:1 ratio. Taro plantlets require approximately 4 to 6 weeks to acclimatize before they can be transferred to the field.