How Koi Become So Expensive?

Colourful Koi in the pond.

Koi one of the most expensive fish in the world. Maybe not all of us aware about it, however the most expensive koi ever sold worth 2.2 million dollars in today’s money! Keeping koi is not an easy job, while breeding koi will be twice as hard. If you ever wonder, how this fish become so expensive?

Like many other expensive pets, koi with high values are not originally from the wild species. They actually specially breed for certain qualities to meet few standards in koi classifications. Koi or also known as “nishikigoi”, are coloured varieties of Amur carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) that specifically breed for decorative purposes. Koi are distinguished by its colouration, patterns, and scales. Their beautiful colours varies from white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. One of the most popular koi known as Gonsake, which is the mixed of Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.

Kohaku - the most famous type of Koi.

Bekko - yellow koi with black markings.

Kinginrin - metallic colour scales types or known as "gold and silver scales". 

Koi is actually the carp species originated from Central Europe and Asia. However they had been domesticated to produced natural colour mutation for decorative purposes in China more than thousand years ago, and spread to all other part of the world. Today Koi more popular in Japan and there are koi enthusiast almost in many countries with Koi competition every year.

To produce beautiful Koi, its need to be carefully breed. In the wild Koi will quickly revert to its natural colouration within few generation. That’s why, beautiful Koi, only can be achieved through selective breeding by professional breeders. Anyway, no one can tell how the final result can be, it still depend on small probability for the breeders to get the right combination from the breeding process.

Koi farm in Niigata, Japan.

Shōwa Sanshoku (or Showa Sanke) - the black koi with red and white markings.

Some of the Koi Types.

There are few classifications to differentiate the Koi qualities such as colours, size and body shapes, and pattern. There also many varieties produced every year that widen the competition criteria.

There are many things to learn if you are interest to keep Koi as pet, especially if you have intention to compete in Koi competition. Even though carp is generally easy to keep, but it’s different for Koi. Perhaps we can see more details about this wonderful fish in the next articles.

Teknologi Penanaman Padi Di Luar Asean

Penggunaan 'drone' merupakan salah satu teknik pertanian moden yang giat dibangunkan.

Penanaman padi di kawasan negara-negara Asean merupakan tanaman penting kerana ia juga merupakan makanan utama penduduk di kawasan ini. Semenjak sekian lama ianya ditanam teknik penanaman padi tidak banyak berubah dan diusahakan secara kecil-kecilan. Tinjauan teknik penanaman padi di luar kawasan ini amat penting kerana ia dapat memberikan kita banyak pengajaran mengenai teknik penanaman yang lebih menguntungkan kepada para petani.

Penanaman berteraskan teknik yang diwarisi sejak turun-temurun bukanlah sesuatu yang tidak baik, namun bagi menambah pendapatan para petani, teknik penanaman ini perlu berubah mengikut peredaran zaman. Tanpa perubahan, hasil yang dihasilkan bukan sahaja berkurangan malah mungkin suatu masa tanaman penting ini akan mengalami kemusnahan serangan penyakit (yang sentiasa berubah sebagai tindak balas ‘survival’). Sehubungan itu, ini merupakan satu tajuk penting yang perlu dipertimbangkan secara mendalam.

Teknik penanaman padi secara moden yang diamalkan oleh negara-negara membangun amat berbeza. Oleh kerana itu artikel ini akan melihat secara ringkas beberapa perkara penting bagi kita membuat pertimbangan - kerana tidak semuanya dapat dilakukan di negara kita atas pelbagai sebab tertentu, namun begitu ia boleh dijadikan sebagai panduan dalam meningkatkan produktiviti tanaman penting kepada penduduk Asean ini. Jadi kita akan melihat beberapa proses penting dalam proses penanaman padi sebagai contoh sahaja. Antara pengusaha tanaman padi secara moden yang perlu kita contohi antaranya adalah Jepun, Australia, Amerika, negara-negara Eropah dan China yang giat membangunkan teknik penanaman padi secara moden. Walaupun bukan merupakan negara pengeluar beras utama namun teknik penanaman mereka lebih produktif.

Pengairan

Pengairan merupakan perkara paling penting sebelum memulakan proses penanaman padi yang merupakan sumber utama yang membolehkan padi ditanam dengan baik. Melalui teknologi moden, sumber air boleh diaturkan dengan lebih sempurna sesuai dengan pusingan tanaman dengan lebih kerap (bagi negara-negara Asean yang menerima hujan sepanjang tahun).

Melalui teknologi moden jumlah taburan hujan dan sumber air lebih mudah untuk diuruskan (sekiranya diberikan penekanan yang serius). Kolam-kolam takungan dan tali air lebih mudah dibina berbanding bagi para petani pada zaman dahulu. Jadi pengurusan sumber ini perlu dilakukan dengan lebih serius oleh pihak berwajib dan dimufakati bersama oleh para petani. Sistem penanaman berkumpulan yang perlu dicontohi adalah seperti yang diamalkan dalam teknik ‘Subak’ di Bali.

Penyediaan Tanah

Penggunaan jentera menjimatkan banyak masa kerja-kerja penyediaan tanah.

Mesin yang lebih kecil bagi sawah yang bersaiz kecil.

Penyediaan tanah merupakan antara proses penting dalam proses penanaman padi sama ada penanaman secara tradisional ataupun penanaman moden. Apa yang membezakan teknik penanaman moden lebih mengutamakan penggunaan jentera yang dapat menjimatkan masa. Melalui penggunaan mesin yang betul masa untuk kerja-kerja penyediaan tanah dapat dijimatkan jauh lebih pantas.

Walaupun penggunaan jentera besar lebih sesuai digunakan pada sawah padi bersaiz besar, terdapat juga jentera penyediaan tanah bagi para petani yang mempunyai sawah bersaiz kecil. Apa yang penting kerja-kerja dapat disiapkan dalam masa yang lebih singkat bagi membolehkan para petani menumpukan perhatian kepada perkara-perkara lain yang penting.

Sememangnya keadaan sawah di sekitar Asean adalah bersaiz kecil dengan bentuk muka bumi yang berbeza seperti sawah yang berada di lereng-lereng bukit. Ia bukanlah satu penghalang bagi penggunaan jentera-jentera moden kerana ianya boleh direka bersesuaian dengan penggunaan yang diperlukan. Apa yang penting, para petani perlu mengenal pasti keperluan mereka dengan jelas bagi memudahkan jentera yang sesuai direka.

Penanaman Benih Padi

Mesin mengalih anak benih padi.

Teknik yang lebih popular bagi petani di US dan Australia - menabur benih padi menggunakan kapal terbang.

Teknik penanaman secara tradisional mengambil masa yang agak lama dengan langkah-langkah penyediaan anak benih yang agak rumit. Walaupun ianya bagus bagi menjamin mutu penghasilan anak-anak padi yang lebih baik, namun masa yang diluangkan untuk proses penyemaian dan mengalih anak padi adalah terlalu banyak. Proses ini boleh diperbaiki dengan pemilihan biji benih yang baik dan keluasan tanaman yang lebih besar.

Walaupun terdapat teknik penanaman moden yang masih lagi mengamalkan teknik tapak semaian dan mengalih menggunakan jentera, namun kaedah semaian padi secara terus menggunakan kapal terbang merupakan teknik yang jauh menjimatkan masa. Melalui kaedah ini kerja-kerja penanam padi dapat dilakukan dalam masa yang jauh lebih singkat untuk keluasan sawah yang jauh lebih besar. Selain daripada penggunaan kapal terbang terdapat juga kaedah yang menggunakan mesin semburan benih padi selain menggunakan ‘drone’ yang lebih kecil berbanding pesawat.

Pembajaan

Pembajaan merupakan antara faktor penting bagi memastikan anak-anak benih padi dapat membesar dengan subur. Penggunaan baja secara organik ataupun menggunakan baja kimia perlu dilakukan dengan betul bagi mengelakkan pembaziran.

Terdapat juga para petani yang melepaskan haiwan ternakan seperti itik ke dalam sawah seperti di Thailand. Itik-itik ini bukan sahaja memakan serangga perosak di sawah, malah najisnya juga akan menjadi baja kepada anak-anak padi yang sedang membesar. Selain itik, pembelaan ikan juga boleh dilakukan di dalam sawah yang masih mengandungi air semasa proses pembesaran anak-anak padi.

Namun begitu penggunaan baja yang tidak dikawal boleh mengakibatkan kesan negatif kepada alam sekitar. Maka dengan itu, para petani perlu lebih aktif dalam mempelajari teknik-teknik mengkaji keperluan tanah dan pembajaan dengan tepat. Bagi memastikan hasil pengeluaran yang berterusan tanggungjawab ini perlu dilakukan bersama-sama kerana keseimbangan alam amat penting kepada para petani.

Penjagaan Makhluk Perosak/Penyakit

Penjagaan makhluk perosak lebih berkait rapat dengan teknik penanaman padi secara moden. Penanaman secara bermusim seperti yang dilakukan di Bali juga merupakan antara kaedah yang dapat mengurangkan masalah gangguan makhluk perosak. Namun begitu kawalan perlu dilakukan secara teliti untuk mengawal penyakit-penyakit lain tanaman padi.

Penyemburan racun serangga menggunakan kapal terbang dan ‘drone’ merupakan kaedah yang lebih sesuai bagi menjimatkan masa. Walaupun penggunaan ‘drone’, masih lagi baru, ia menunjukkan potensi yang lebih baik kerana ia diselenggarakan secara automatik. Teknologi ini mungkin akan lebih baik untuk masa-masa akan datang. Penggunaan ‘drone’ untuk tujuan ini semakin giat digunakan oleh China dalam membangunkan teknologi penanaman padi secara moden. Malah China turut membawa teknologi ini ke negara-negara lain yang berminat.

Penuaian

Mesin penuaian padi yang bersaiz besar.

Mesin penuaian bersaiz kecil.

Beras basmati yang dihasilkan dari California, US.

Teknik penuaian menggunakan mesin juga adalah jauh lebih baik dan pantas. Walaupun teknik penuaian biasa dapat mengurangkan pembaziran padi. Namun bagi tujuan komersial, penuaian dapat dilakukan dengan jauh lebih pantas. Ini kerana proses penuaian secara tradisional merupakan antara proses paling rumit sedangkan proses ini perlu dilakukan dengan pantas bagi mengelakkan kerosakan pada buah padi yang telah masak.

Terdapat pelbagai saiz jentera penuaian mengikut keluasan ladang yang sesuai. Penggunaan mesin yang sesuai adalah penting bagi memastikan ia dapat digunakan dengan berkesan. Melalui penggunaan mesin padi yang dituai terus dileraikan dan siap untuk dihantar ke kilang pemprosesan yang dapat mengurangkan lagi proses-proses kerja seperti mana yang dilakukan dalam proses penuaian tradisional.

Penyimpanan dan Proses Pengilangan Padi

Proses akhir dalam penghasilan beras adalah penyimpanan hasil tuaian padi sebelum beras boleh dijual kepada pengguna. Proses ini dapat memastikan beras yang dihasilkan tahan lebih lama dan tidak rosak. Walaupun ia nampak mudah, namun ia amat penting dalam menjamin kualiti beras yang baik.

Bagi memastikan penanaman padi di negara-negara Asean terus kompetitif dan meningkatkan taraf hidup para petani langkah-langkah yang  sesuai perlu diambil. Para petani sendiri perlulah berani mencuba kaedah-kaedah baru yang sebelum ini belum pernah dicuba. Sememangnya terdapat perbezaan ketara antara penanaman padi yang ditanam secara moden di negara-negara maju, namun begitu sesuai sebagai tanaman penting di negara-negara Asean, tanaman padi perlu dibangunkan semula memandangkan kepentingannya kepada penduduk di kawasan ini.

Penanaman padi moden mengutamakan penjimatan tenaga para petani dan menumpukan kepada proses pengurusan tanaman yang jauh lebih penting. Memandangkan keadaan yang sentiasa berubah dan persaingan yang sentiasa meningkat, maka urusan perancangan dan pentadbiran tanaman adalah jauh lebih penting. Bagi kebanyakan negara-negara di Asean urusan kaedah penanaman ini biasanya adalah di bawah nasihat jabatan-jabatan kerajaan yang perlu lebih aktif dan peka kepada hasil pengeluaran para petani. Maka dengan itu jabatan ini perlu secara aktif membantu meningkatkan kualiti pendapatan para petani sesuai dengan pembangunan semasa.

** Ikuti siri Rice Farming TV di YouTube untuk mempelajari lebih banyak teknik penghasilan beras dari California US;

~ Penghasilan beras dari Australia;

Saffron The Most Expensive Spice In The World

Saffron flower with three filaments that produce saffron.

One of the most expensive spices in the world far different from any other spices come from flower known as saffron Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". It’s not the whole flower can be used as the spices but only small part of it, the three stigmas that make it harder to produce. Since the demand for it too high, the saffron price can jump as high as $2,000 to $10,000 a pound. By knowing more about this spices it might help us just not knowing the right saffron but also to identify the adulteration that commonly practiced in saffron spice trade.

The saffron crocus, unknown in the wild perhaps by the result of long cultivation by human and probably descend of from Crocus cartwrightianus, native to Greece and Crete (that’s where saffron was thought came from). Since saffron is incapable to reproduce sexually as any other flowering plants – all propagation is done by vegetative multiplication via manual "divide-and-set" of a starter clone or by interspecific hybridisation.

Close up of Saffron flower.

Dried filaments (saffron)

Besides its popularity, saffron had been used since millennial ago with the exact date unknown, among the evidence is the mural, the "Saffron Gatherer", illustrating the gathering of crocuses from the ancient Crete in Greece. The mural must have been painted long after the first usage of the saffron and perhaps we need to see where the saffron is mostly produce; Iran.

Iran is the most important producer of saffron by producing about 90 - 93% of the world supply. In 2014 250 t (250,000 kg) of saffron were produced worldwide. The other countries that produce saffron includes Spain, Greece, Morocco, India, Afghan, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, China, Egypt,  parts of England, France, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden (Gotland), Turkey (mainly around the town of Safranbolu), the United States (California and Pennsylvania), and Central Africa.

Harvesting flowers in Iran.

The shop selling saffron in Iran

The reasons for its overpriced mainly caused by many of the delicate cares and works all along the producing works involved. The flower itself not easy to taken care of, while blooms for one week of the year, produces only three stamens which must be picked by the hand and dried. It takes 150 flowers to produce a single gram of saffron.

Saffron widely used for its aroma that will enhance many dishes throughout the world. It also give beautiful luminous yellow-orange to foods. Saffron is widely used in Persian, Indian, European, and Arab cuisines. Some of the dishes are jewelled rice and khoresh of Iran, Milanese risotto of Italy, the paella of Spain, the bouillabaisse of France, to the biryani and many other dishes. It also use as tea, incense and in perfume.

While the saffron price is too high, there are an extensive adulteration in saffron market. The adulteration had been practiced since long ago, and continues until modern days. Adulteration was first documented in Europe's Middle Ages, when those found selling adulterated saffron were executed under the Safranschou code. Among substances used for adulteration of saffron includes beetroot, pomegranate fibres, red-dyed silk fibres, or the saffron crocus's tasteless and odourless yellow stamens. There are many other substances used for adulteration of saffron to manipulate the price and get easy profit.

There are few ways to avoid from buying counterfeited saffron, especially when you are not the regular user of saffron. There are few things to remember before buying saffron especially from unknown supplier;

i) Avoid buying ground saffron as it is hard to detect the ingenuity of the saffron. The other reason is, it will loses its flavour.

ii) Saffron will turn hot water bright yellow few minutes of soaking, not orange.

iii) Saffron will always be expensive, so be careful with cheaper deals.

iv) The threads of saffron are fine and even in size, with a thin yellow tendril on one end and a trumpet-like flute on the other. The yellow part never mix with the red part.

Try avoid buying from online if possible and always be cautious when buying for saffron as it is expensive and people will cheat you in many ways.

There are many usage of saffron even though it is known more as culinary spices. The high demand of it making its cultivation become very important. Somehow somewhere there always be someone trying to produce it in larger quantity in order to get more profit (not necessarily in bad ways) since it has higher value in price. Sure it is important in order to curb manipulation, fraud, adulteration and many other negative effects from high demand.

Illegal Cheese, Casu Marzu

Casu Marzu another type of cheese.

We all love excessive cheese on our Pizza and more cheese on our burgers. As there are too many cheeses around, and some of them are too exotic it’s either you never heard of it, or it’s only available on the black market. As there are too many exotic foods available, so there’re types of cheese that included in this class - one of them is Casu Marzu.

Casu Marzu is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese with live insect larvae (maggots) in it. These larvae are the important ingredient that changes the pecorino cheese to casu marzu. Mature pecorino cheeses are leaving outside with part of their rind removed to allow the cheese fly (Piophila casei) to lay their eggs. The cheese will be the place where all the flies larvae growing up by consuming the cheese. The process will take around few months by leaving the cheeses with flies’ eggs on it to the stage where the acid from the maggots’ digestive system breaks down the cheese’s fats. The final result will be soft texture cheese by the time when it’s ready for consumption – and where thousands of larvae are still alive inside it. Yes, it considered unsafe to eat, when the maggots inside it died!

The making process.

Close look of the living maggots inside it.

If you’re brave enough to try casu marzu there are two important things to put in mind. Frist casu marzu full of living maggots in it that can caused some health problems – as you need to make sure no living maggots get into your intestine as they can live inside it. Second it’s considered illegal so you can only get it from the black market! Well, there are too risky to try this exotic cheese.

Anyway casu marzu is not one of the kind! There are many other options of exotic cheeses out there if you looking for compatible type of cheeses. Below are some other options if you want to try all of the similar types;

• Cacie' Punt (formaggio punto) in Molise
• Casgiu merzu in Corsica
• Casu du quagghiu in Calabria
• Gorgonzola co-i grilli in Liguria
• Frmag punt in Apulia
• Furmai nis (formaggio Nisso) in Emilia Romagna
• Marcetto or cace fraceche in Abruzzo
• Salterello in Friuli Venezia Giulia
• bross ch'a marcia in Piemonte
• casu puntu in Salento

Cheese fly (Piophila casei).

If this type of cheeses not suitable for you, just remember it still someone else favourite, and that’s fine. We all love something that others think weird about it. Perhaps we think about taste as how we look on beauty as “beauty in the eyes of the beholder”.

Online Courses from 10 Best Universities in the World 2018

Online courses give you many advantages.

The Times Higher Education recently came out with the World University Rankings 2018 with the list from top 1,000 universities in the world.

The 10 rankings are the most crucial rankings and slightly changes over the years among few well known universities. Some of these universities are specialized in specific areas and all of them are very good in not only for teaching but also researching with better impact to human all over the world.

While not all of us get the chance to be a fulltime student in these remarkable institutions, this is how we can follow their programs through their online courses. These online courses will provide many benefits before we decide to get more details about it or to further go for the full courses.

You can follow your class anytime.

The 10 ranking of Best Universities in the World 2018

1. University of Oxford

University of Oxford have massive full time courses and online courses covering many categories. These online courses classes are kept small in size to maximise interaction between students and the tutor. The Courses offered normally in 5-10 or 20 weeks in duration, while longer courses result in Oxford qualifications at the undergraduate, advanced diploma and postgraduate levels.

Online courses link: here

2. University of Cambridge

There are few courses offered online by University of Cambridge. There are not many online courses provided by this  university at this moment but still it will get you a chance to know how the learning styles provided from it. If you find there is any course that you like, why not give it a try, after all this is among the oldest university founded in 1209 that still survive until today.

Online courses link: here

3. California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology also known as Caltech is a world-renowned engineering Institute that currently one of the best. Founded as Throop University in 1891 in Pasadena, California, and renamed the California Institute of Technology in 1920. If you are interested in technology field then Caltech’s courses should be the one you are eyeing for.

Caltech courses might be held through various platforms such as edX, Coursera and also iTunesU

Online courses link: here

3. Stanford University

Stanford University provide their online free online courses through Stanford Online with more than 100 unique online courses or MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). There are many categories offer by this institution that held directly from its own platform. There are many courses available to suit your interest. Follow the link below to know more about the courses available.

Online courses link: here

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT provide free online courses through its MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) and available to everyone. Over the years these materials had been used to improve educators’ courses, assist students all around the world for additional resources, and independent learners to expand their knowledge.

The materials provided in OCW covering most of the topics provided at MIT. Some of the courses also provided through different platform such as edX.

Online courses link: here

6. Harvard University

Harvard and MIT created edX as a non-profit online initiative. So you can find most of the courses from Harvard and MIT through edX, while Harvard itself conducting online courses with both free courses and paid online courses.

These courses include all categories from Art & Design, Business & Management, Science & Engineering and all other courses you can find at Harvard. You can either follow these courses directly from Harvard platform or through edX. – trust me, Harvard courses are the best!

Online courses link: here

7. Princeton University

Princeton Online is the Princeton University's initiative in order to provide online education by sharing their course materials with learners from around the world through other online learning platform providers Coursera, edX, Kadenze and NovoEd. Even though its free non-credit courses, its allow millions of educators, students and individual learners to learn more about their interest subjects.

Online courses link: here

8. Imperial College London

The online courses provided not as many other institutions. Sometimes you can also follow courses provided by Imperial College from other online courses provider such as Edx.org. The online courses provided directly from their website in the form of short courses as you can see from the link provided below.

Online courses link: here

9. University of Chicago

University of Chicago offering different types of online courses such as Open Online Courses, Private Online Courses, and Courses for Alumni and Professional Certificates that held in different platforms. These courses can be followed through platforms such as Coursera, Canvas Network, Graham School, Oriental Institute, and AlumniU. Currently online courses provided by University of Chicago not as much as provided by any other institutions above.

Online courses link: here

10. ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

ETH Zurich offers some online courses covering few categories from Architecture, Geomatics Engineering, Biology, Biotechnology, Computer Science, and many others. Some of these courses are also offer in English while some other in German. For more details about online courses provided by ETH Zurich, please follow the link below.

Online courses link: here

10. University of Pennsylvania

Penn Online Learning Initiative is the online learning provided by University of Pennsylvania that getting grower over the years. Until now Penn Online Learning have 135 courses delivered through Coursera and edX with more than 6.4 millions enrolments. You can enrol directly through Penn Online websites or other platforms above.

Online courses link: here

If you are thinking about to learn new things or advancing your own carrier, why not learn it from the best! With more online courses offer from various institutions that you can follow with your own pace, not to mention its safe lots of money and time too.