Budiastuti Kurniasih

This study evaluated whether reducing the dose of soil amendment and enriching it with vermicompost and biochar could maintain soil properties and support the growth of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) ‘GP3’) cultivated on degraded Ultisols. This experiment aimed to assess the effect of reducing the dose of soil amendment and decreasing the inorganic fertilizer application to 75% of the recommended dose on soil properties, nutrient uptake, and plant growth. The experiment used a split-plot design with varying doses of enriched compost combined with vermicompost and biochar, and two levels of inorganic fertilizer (75% and 100% of the recommended dose). Soil properties, nutrient uptake, and plant growth were measured and analyzed using Dunnett's test at ? = 0.05. The results showed that reducing the dose of enriched compost and decreasing the inorganic fertilizer by 25% generally resulted in soil properties, nutrient uptake, and plant growth comparable to those obtained using a higher dose of compost only and a full dose of inorganic fertilizer. Soil properties indicators generally remained stable across all treatments, with a small and transient decrease in soil nitrogen, which only occurred in the 25CVB1 treatment at later stages of plant growth. Although Ca and Mg uptake in the 25CVB3 treatment was lower at 4 months after planting, at 8 months after planting, the uptake levels were comparable across all treatments. These findings indicate that compost enriched with vermicompost and biochar allows for reduced doses of soil amendment and inorganic fertilizers without compromising soil quality or pineapple growth, thus providing a sustainable and cost-effective management strategy for pineapple cultivation on Ultisols.

Praktik budidaya yang intensif pada tumpang gilir antara cabai rawit–jagung perlu dilakukan evaluasi untuk mengetahui keunggulan lahan dan kompetisi di antara dua spesies yang berbeda. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui nilai kompetisi dan keunggulan lahan dari model tanam tumpang gilir cabai rawit–jagung dan aplikasi agens hayati. Penelitian dilakukan di Magelang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia pada Mei 2019–Januari 2020. Penelitian menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif yang disusun dalam Rancangan Acak Kelompok Lengkap dua faktor; faktor pertama yaitu model tanam tumpang gilir (2 baris dan 3 baris cabai rawit) dan faktor kedua yaitu aplikasi agens hayati (dengan dan tanpa aplikasi agens hayati). Monokultur cabai dan jagung tanpa aplikasi agensi hayati merupakan kontrol. Data dianalisis menggunakan Analisis Varians dan Uji Lanjut Duncan's multiple range tests pada α = 5%. Tumpang gilir dinilai berdasarkan Nisbah Kesetaraan Lahan, Nisbah Kesetaraan Lahan berdasarkan Waktu, Agresivitas, Rasio Kompetisi, dan Kehilangan Hasil Aktual. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Model tanam 2 dan 3 baris cabai rawit pada pola tanam tumpang gilir cabai rawit dengan jagung dan pemberian agens hayati menghasilkan nilai Nisbah Kesetaraan Lahan dan Nisbah Kesetaraan Lahan Berdasarkan Waktu > 1. Cabai rawit memilki indeks Agresivitas dan Rasio Kompetisi yang lebih besar daripada jagung, namun memiliki nilai Kehilangan Hasil Aktual yang tinggi jika ditanam pada pola tumpang gilir tidak disertai pemberian agens hayati. Dari metode yang diterapkan pada penelitian ini, maka tumpang gilir cabai rawit dengan jagung model 2 baris dengan pemberian agens hayati direkomendasikan karena layak diterapkan dan menguntungkan untuk diusahakan terutama bagi pertanian skala kecil.

Seawater intrusion causes salinity and waterlogging in the coastal agricultural land of Pangandaran, Indonesia. Both limiting factors cause a decrease in soil chemical properties. The decline in rice yield occurred due to the low soil chemical properties. The study aims to identify the soil’s chemical properties based on limiting factors and to reveal its relationship with rice productivity in the coastal agricultural land of Pangandaran. Soil sampling was conducted using a purposive sampling method, and the samples were analyzed in the laboratory. Various soil properties are grouped into three clusters using hierarchical clustering. The cluster of waterlogging high salinity has very high Na-exchangeable with EC ranging from 0.21 - 4.93 dS m-1, while the other two clusters contain high Na-exchangeable and EC ranging from 0.101 - 0.581 dS m-1. Rice productivity under waterlogging-low salinity is <1 t ha-1, no waterlogging-low salinity is 3.63 t ha-1, and waterlogging-high salinity is 2.48 t ha-1. There are negative correlations between Na-exchangeable, water depth, and duration of waterlogging to rice yield (R2= -0.33; R2= -0.58; R2= -0.90). Multiple stresses cause limiting factors, and low soil chemical properties can inhibit plant development. The presence of waterlogging-low salinity has a strong impact on decreasing rice yield. Finally, our study provides an overview of the coastal agricultural land of Pangandaran based on multiple stresses. Furthermore, improved soil properties are needed with good management techniques to make it suitable for rice cultivation.

Shallot (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum group) is an important Allium plant commonly grown in tropical countries, including Indonesia, and it is used as spice for daily cooking, medicine, cosmetics and dietary supplements. Since shallot is predominantly propagated vegetatively by bulbs, it augments pathogen accumulation which influences low seed bulb management as well as productivity. Hence, utilisation of seeds/True Seed Shallot (TSS) emerges an alternative propagation material. However, no information is available on the growth stages of shallot plants from TSS. The phenological growth stages of tropical shallot planted in lowland areas using seeds in accordance with the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt nd CHemische Industrie (BBCH) scale are first described here. Five introduced TSS cultivars, that is, Tuk Tuk, Lokananta, Sanren, Maserati, Tropix and four landraces TSS cultivars, that is, Bima, Biru Lancor, Pancasona and Trisula, were used as planting materials to develop an extended numerical BBCH scale for the identification of different phenological growth stages of shallot from seed. The study was conducted in lowland areas under tropical conditions of Indonesia. Based on BBCH scale, phenology of tropical shallot from seed in lowland area exhibited five of the 10 principal stages (0–9): germination (stage 0), leaf development (stage 1), formation of lateral shoot/tiller of pseudostem (stage 2), development of bulb (harvestable vegetative part) (stage 4), and senescence (stage 9). The codification of the different growth stages is essential in determination of the correct timing for better crop management, particularly for transplanting, fertilisation, control of weeds, disease and pest, plant growth regulators application and harvest time. As an implication, these BBCH scales could be used in plant breeding activities to shorten the TSS life cycle.

Iron toxicity in rice plants occurs due to the excessive concentrations of ferrous ions (Fe²⁺) in the soil solution. The application of organic matter and water management is one way to alleviate iron toxicity in rice plants. This study aimed to determine the potential of organic matter and water management in controlling the solubility of Fe²⁺ in the soil and its effect on the symptoms of toxicity, growth and yield of rice plants. The research was conducted in the greenhouse of the Indonesian Swampland Agricultural Research Institute from August to December 2020, arranged in a completely randomized design with three factors. The first factor consisted of low Fe²⁺ concentration (300 ppm, potential acid sulfate soil (PASS)), the second factor consisted of waterlogging without leaching and leaching of once every two weeks, and the third factor consisted of without organic matter amendment and with organic matter amendment of 2.5 ton.ha^-1. In comparison to the treatment of without organic matter amendment and leaching, the organic matter and leaching treatment in the AASS reduced the leaf bronzing index by 26.17 % and increased the crop yield by 21.20 %. In the PASS, the organic matter and leaching treatment reduced the leaf bronzing index by 11.74 % and increased the crop yield by 15.72 %. The leaching of once every two weeks and organic matter amendment of 2.5 ton.ha^-1 are recommended to alleviate iron toxicity and increase rice productivity in acid sulfate soil.

Tiyung cultivar, the consumer preferences of hot pepper in Magelang Regency, is still low in productivity (7 ton.ha-1). This research aimed to determine the growth and yield of hot pepper planted in relay intercropping as affected by biological agent application as a technology to increase productivity. This research was arranged in a Factorial Randomized Complete Block Design with an intercropping pattern of hot pepper (two and three rows model). The second factor was the application of biological agents, consisting of Trichoderma asperellum, Bacillus velezensis B-27 and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (with and without biological agents). The control was the monoculture of hot pepper without biological agent application. The data observed were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and followed by the Duncan's Multiple Range Test at α= 5 %. The results showed that the relay intercropping of hot pepper produced less numbers of branches and leaves. It indicated more efficiency in the use of assimilates for the development of generative organs, thereby resulting in the high values fruits weight per plant, which were as high as those in monoculture. The productivity observed in relay intercropping was 12.93 ton.ha-1, which was 15.8 % higher than in monoculture. The application of biological agents significantly increased the stomatal density, the size of stomatal opening, the number of leaves, weight of fruits per plant and productivity of hot pepper. The productivity of plant applied with biological agents was 16.84 ton.ha-1, which was 86.50 % higher than that without biological agents application.

Nasrudin, Kurniasih B. 2021. The agro-physiological characteristics of three rice varieties affected by water depth in the coastal agricultural land of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3656-3662. Coastal agricultural land has many obstacles of abiotic stress for plant cultivation, including waterlogging, strong wind, and high salt concentration. Therefore, the use of adaptive rice varieties, as well as good land management, are expected to be a solution for rice cultivation in the coastal agricultural land. The objective of this study was to examine the agro-physiological characteristics of three rice varieties planted in coastal agricultural land which were affected by water salinity up to more than 10 dS m-1. This study was conducted from February to July 2017 at Tirtohargo, Bantul District, Special Region of Yogyakarta. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design, with the depths of sunken-bed as a main plot consisted of 25 cm and 50 cm, and variety as a subplot consisted of IR 64, Inpara 4, and Dendang. The experiment results showed that Dendang had the highest growth and yield in coastal agricultural land compared to Inpara 4 and IR64. The highest value is indicated in plant height, leaf area, proline content, and productivity. The depths 50 cm of sunken-bed increased leaf area and proline content, whereas the depths of 25 cm sunken-bed increased productivity. Dendang showed better agro-physiological activity and had the highest productivity. The depths of 50 cm increased several parameters in agro-physiological characteristics, however, the depths of 25 cm increased grain yield. Among the varieties tested, in salinity, the highest growth and yield variables were shown by Dendang, followed by IR 64 and Inpara 4.

The bleaching process at the crude palm oil (CPO) refinery stage is one of the processes sufficient to determine the quality of the cooking oil produced. CPO is refined to eliminate the unacceptable substances before consumption. The process produces spent bleaching earth (SBE) and deoiled bleaching earth (DBE) classified as hazardous and toxic material waste. However, according to several studies, SBE and DBE have the potential as filler materials in NPK fertilizers. This study aimed to study the effect of SBE and DBE filler-based NPK fertilization on the soil nutrient status and growth characteristics of soybean, thereby determining if the SBE and DBE materials can be used to replace some of the filler components in the NPK fertilizers. The study was a single factor experiment arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) consisting of four blocks as replications. The treatments tested were fertilization of 10% bentonite clay mineral filler-based NPK (control), 5% bentonite clay mineral + 5% SBE filler-based NPK and 5% bentonite clay mineral + 5% DBE filler-based NPK. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and tested using LSD test at a 95% confidence level. The results showed that the SBE and DBE materials could partially replace the filler components in bentonite clay filler-based NPK fertilizers, which were shown to have the same effect on soil chemical properties and levels of heavy metals after treatment, levels and uptake of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in plants tissues and growth characteristic in the form of total dry weight.

Moringa plants grow in Sumenep with semi-intensive planting at the moor and several planting sites. Sumenep is one of the districts in Madura Island, which is categorized as a dry area based on the Oldeman climate classification. Based on the color of the leaf stalk, moringa plants growing in Sumenep area are categorized as green and purple moringa. The study aimed to examine the differences in physiological characteristics of two accession of moringa plants at different planting sites in Madura. The study was arranged in Oversite Sub-sampling Design with planting site as first factor consisting of Bluto with E5 climate type and Guluk-guluk with D3 climate type. Meanwhile, the second factor was the type of moringa consisting of moringa with green and purple leaf stalks. The results showed that the different planting sites represented the differences in environmental elements, which influenced the physiological characteristics of moringa plants. Based on the observation in September 2016, moringa plants with green stalks planted in Guluk-guluk had high ANR content. The stomatal opening on moringa leaves with green stalks was larger than that on moringa plants with purple stalks, whereas ANR content in green-stalked moringa was lower than in the purple-stalked ones. Meanwhile, in February 2017, the purple-stalked moringa plants planted at Bluto had the highest transpiration rate and proline content compared to the others.

Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE) is a by-product of the refining of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) into cooking oil which is classified as hazardous and toxic materials waste. SBE has the potential to be used as a filler in the production of NPK fertilizer. This study aims to compare the effect of SBE and Deoiled Bleaching Earth (DBE) as the replacement of clay mineral, which is expected to have the same effect as the control treatment in terms of the leaf area, total dry weight, plant height and yield of plant. This experiment used a one-factor Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The treatments of filler in NPK fertilizer were 10% clay minerals, NPK with 5% clay mineral + 5% SBE filler and NPK with 5% clay mineral + 5% DBE filler. Fertilizer was given twice, ie when the plant was 14 days after planting (DAP) as much as 2 g polybag-1 and age 35 DAP as much as 3 g polybag-1 at each treatment. The results showed that the application of NPK fertilization with 5% clay mineral + 5% SBE filler and NPK fertilization with 5% clay mineral + 5% DBE filler had the same effect as NPK fertilization with 10% clay mineral filler on leaf area, total dry weight, plant height and yield of plant. SBE and DBE can be used as substituties for clay mineral in NPK fertilizer production.