Chili Kulai (Capsicum annuum L) is a typical and popular chili that utilized by Malaysians as a spice in their daily food, emphasize its economic value. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of empty fruit bunch (EFB) compost and Trichoderma biofertilizer on the growth and yield performance of chili production, as well as to determine physicochemical properties of soil and to evaluate N, P, K content of chili plant tissue. The experimental design used was Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments replicated four (4) times with four plants giving a total of 64 experimental units. The treatments involved were: T1 (Control), T2 (100% EFB compost), T3 (100% Trichoderma biofertilizer) and T4 (50% EFB compost + 50% Trichoderma biofertilizer). The results revealed, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) for growth and yield performance of chili production. As for the nutrient content (%) in both soil and plant, T4 showed the highest NPK content with N (1.98%), P (0.76%) and K (0.69%). In conclusion, this study proved that the use of organic based EFB compost enriched with Trichoderma biofertilizer has increased the yield of chili plant, thus reducing the use of chemical fertilizer.

In this study, coconut shells were converted into biochar via pyrolysis and chemically modified via an acid-base treatment to enrich its adsorption capabilities. Batch experiments were carried out to analyze the adsorption potential of the modified coconut shell (MCSC) or removal of chromium, nickel, and copper from aqueous solution. The chemical modification increased the surface area of MCSC to 185.712 m2/g. Batch adsorption study using MCSC resulted in 99% removal of copper, 95% (nickel), and 39% (chromium). The adsorption of studied metal ions fitted well with Langmuir isotherm, showing a monolayer adsorption process. A kinetic analysis showed that all the samples match a strong correlation coefficient in pseudo-second-order (R2>0.95), indicating the occurrence of a chemical adsorption process.

New and improved fertilisers are constantly being introduced to the market to help increase crop yields. However, the common usage of chemical fertilisers had brought upon negative impacts to the environment and the study for sustainable fertiliser is still ongoing. This review will highlight the usage of bat guano as a valuable fertiliser which has a potential to diminish the effects of chemical fertiliser usage, increase yield and is cost effective. Its role as a fertiliser can support the agricultural growth and in turn provides additional care for plants. The chemical compositions of guano which was found to be subpar with other fertilisers support its usage of guano as an alternative for crop yield enhancement. Plant growth performance that shows a significant positive impact of guano on crops, further demonstrates its usage as organic fertilisers. In-depth study of the chemical composition of guano should be pursued as the fertiliser has high beneficial value to the ecology and economy.

Applying biochar in crop farming or agriculture activity generally increases productivity through improved soil fertility and water holding capacity.  However, there is a lack of empirical data on the effects of sago bark waste-derived biochar on the growth media of Capsicum annuum L. This work, reported the effect of sago bark biochar and acid-base treated sago bark biochar on Capsicum annuum L. var. Kulai growth media fertility. The plant growth study was carried out using completely random design experimental layouts with five replicates and 8 treatments at various biochar application rates (0.5,1.5, & 3.0%, w/w). Results showed that plant grown with 1.5% sago bark biochar has the highest number of the leaf (122.90). Plant with 1.5% acid-base treated sago bark biochar showed a significantly (p<0.05) higher number of flower buds (1.90) and stem height (69.00 cm) during 4 months of the vegetative period. Meanwhile, plants with 3% acid-base treated sago bark biochar obtained the highest yield of fruit fresh weight (67.64 g). In general, acid-base treated sago bark biochar application increase the yield of Capsicum annuum L. var. Kulai.

Chemistry is one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects that has been perceived as an unattractive subject among students due to its scientific theories and practices in a laboratory. Practical and scientific writing skills are two crucial components in chemistry courses, including at the Pre-University level, thus requiring educators to design activities that integrate both skills in chemistry learning. This article describes the assessment using a projectbased learning approach to assess students' practical and scientific writing skills for the Organic Chemistry course at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Foundation in Science program. A total of 72 Pre-University science students participated in a Chemistry Group Project assessment. The students were divided into 6 groups and asked to write a proposal on the basis of a chosen title, conduct laboratory work, collect data, and prepare a final report. The assessment was conducted in a single semester from learning week 1 to learning week 17. Results of this study were collected through the submitted proposal, final reports, practical sessions, and students' feedback. Students obtained good marks for practical and scientific writing with average marks of 84.9% and 84.4%, respectively. The results revealed that implementing the Chemistry Group Project as project-based learning leads to increased performance in practical and scientific writing skills and social skills among Pre-University students. Therefore, the Chemistry Group Project should be conducted as one of the learning activities and practical approaches at the Pre-University level.