Journal of Tropical Crop Science
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Assessment of Different Biochar and Composted Cow Dung on Soil Properties, Growth and Cob Weight of Maize
No full textCrop production in tropical soils is constrained by low fertility. The scarcity and high prices of chemical fertilizers have added to the existing challenges. This study examined the influence of different types of biochar and cow dung compost (CDC) on soil properties, growth and cob weight of maize. A polythene pot experiment was conducted at the screen house of the Institute of Ecology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design. Amendments used were: cow dung compost, cow dung biochar and maize cob biochar, which were applied singly at the rates of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 t.ha-1. The production of biochar from cow dung compost and maize cobs was done using a local charcoal-fired reactor. The feedstocks were slowly pyrolyzed at 350 0C and removed after 3hrs. The treatments were replicated twice. Soils amended with CDC had the highest growth parameters compared to other amendments. In the first season, CDC had a 22% increase in height compared to MCB. CDC had a height of 72 cm while MCB had the lowest height with 56 cm. The growth rate was as follows: CDC > CDB > MCB. CDC also increased cob weights when compared to other amendments. At 4 t ha-1, CDC had 2.20 g, CDB had 0.90 g while MCB had 0.47 g. Significant differences were observed among the treatments. However, it was observed that CDB increased soil chemical properties compared to other amendments. Soil properties such as organic carbon and total nitrogen were significantly improved in soils treated with CDB. This study concluded that cow dung biochar was better suited to improve soil properties while also improving crop growth compared to other amendments
Photosynthesis Rate, Sugar and Starch Content of Sago Leaves (Metroxylon sp.) at Different Preparation Methods of Sago Seedlings
Get PDFPhotosynthesis rate plays a significant role in plant growth and development. A study was conducted to determine the best methods to grow sago planting materials from sago suckers. Photosynthesis rate, stomatal density, intercellular CO2 concentration, stomatal conductance, transpiration, sugar and starch content of the sago leaves from different methods of planting was determined. The field experiment was carried out at the Cikabayan Experimental Station from January 2020 to February 2021; the leaf morphology was conducted at the Microtechnical Laboratory and Testing Laboratory of the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia. The treatments for the sago seedlings were immersion of the bare-rooted seedlings in water, immersion in water with media mix in polybags, transplanted to media mix in polybags, and immersion of bare-rooted seedlings for 4 weeks in water followed by transplanting to media mix in polybags. The study was arranged using a single factor a completely randomized block design, and quantitative data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013 and the SAS. Stomatal density and photosynthetic rate were not significantly different between treatments. In contrast, the sugar content of immersed seedling without polybags for one month followed by transplanting to polybag had the best growth compared to those from other treatments, both at the nursery phase and post-transplanting phase. All planting methods resulted in good quality planting materials. At the nursery phase, sago seedlings immersed in water method grew the best; at the post-transplanting phases seedlings immersed bare-rooted for one month followed by transplanting to polybags grew better than those with other treatment
Comparing the Genetic Parameters of Three Rice Varieties on Suboptimal Land Using the SRI Method
Get PDFThe conversion of fertile land into industrial areas and construction development has contributed to the decline of rice production in Indonesia. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the rice fields to the sub-optimal land, i.e. lands with high levels of Fe and Al and low soil pH. One of the solutions that can potentially solve the problem is choosing varieties of rice that can adapt to the suboptimal land environment; the rice varieties can be obtained by estimating rice genetic parameters and selecting the optimal planting methods. One method that can potentially improve rice yield is “System of Rice Intensification”, or SRI method. Our study was conducted in the rice fields on suboptimal land at Pasar Ambacang, Kuranji District, Padang, Sumatra, from December 2019 to April 2020. The aims of the experiment are to determine the genetic parameters and responses of the three rice varieties to suboptimal land using the SRI method. A complete randomized design with four replications was used to set up the experiment using three varieties of rice, i.e. “Batang Piaman”, “Bujang Marantau”, and “IPB3S”. Based on the plant growth measurement and analysis of the genetic parameters, we found that the plant growth characters, particularly height and panicles length, had high heritability and genetic progression values
Effectiveness of Various Foliar Fertilizer on the Growth and Performance of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Seedlings in Main Nurseries
Get PDFFertilizer can be applied through soil and leaves. Fertilizer application through leaves is more effective than soil application due to faster nutrient absorption. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of applying various foliar fertilizer compositions on the growth and performance of oil palm seedlings. The research was conducted from April 2020 to September 2020 at the Oil Palm Nursery Unit at Politeknik Negeri Lampung. A single factor in a completely randomized design with four replications was used in the experiment. The treatment involved the nutrient composition of foliar fertilizer consisting of five levels, namely control (no fertilizer), NPK 20-15-15, NPK 27-18-9, NPK 11-8-6, and NPK 27.5-5.5-4.8. Measurements were made on seedling height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf greenness, rachis length, and leaflet length. The data were analyzed by means of variance, followed by orthogonal contrast if the result was significantly different. The results showed that the application of foliar fertilizers could increase the growth of seedling height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf greenness index, rachis length, and leaflet length. Generally, a foliar fertilizer application gives better results than without a foliar fertilizer application (control). There was no difference in the powder and liquid foliar fertilizer effect on increasing the growth of oil palm seedlings. The formulation of NPK 20-15-15 and NPK 11-8-6 foliar fertilizer had a better effect on the leaf greenness index of oil palm seedlings
Sulfonylurea Herbicide-Resistant Study on Broadleaf Weeds in The Lowland Rice Production Center in West Java, Indonesia
Get PDFMost rice growers in Indonesia use herbicides for weed control. However, intensive use of herbicides can lead to the weeds to become resistant to the chemicals. The objective of this study was to determine the resistance status of weeds Ludwigia octovalvis, Sphenoclea zeylanica, Monochoria vaginalis in lowland rice in West Java, Indonesia. The study was started by planting three species of weeds, L. octovalvis, S. zeylanica, M. vaginalis, which were then treated with metsulfuron-methyl and penoxsulam herbicides. The study was conducted from January to May 2020 at Cikabayan Experimental Greenhouse, IPB University. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The first factor was the origin of weeds, exposed weeds (Karawang and Subang), and not exposed to herbicides (Bogor); the second factor was the rates of the herbicide, i.e., 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 g. ha-1 for metsulfuron- methyl, and 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 ml.ha-1 for penoxsulam. The results showed that based on the resistance ratio, S. zeylanica and M. vaginalis from Karawang and Subang, and L. octovalvis from Subang, indicated a low resistance to metsulfuron-methyl, L. octovalvis from Karawang was still sensitive to metsulfuron-methyl. L. octovalvis, S. zeylanica, and M. vaginalis from Karawang and Subang were still sensitive to penoxsulam herbicides. This information would be useful to develop a strategy of weed management for important food crops
Morphological and Genetic Diversity Study of Upland Rice Varieties under Rain-fed Environment
Get PDFA field experiment was conducted at Fogera Northwest Amhara region to study the morphological traits to variability in 20 upland rice varieties, consisting of nine NERICA and eleven parents. The data were collected from ten randomly selected plants of each plot (plant height, panicle length, culm length, flag-leaf length, number of spikelet per panicle, number of grains per panicle, number of filled grains per panicle, numbers of fertile tillers per plant, yield per plant) and from plot bases (days to heading, days to maturity, grain-filling period, thousand-seed weight, biomass yield, grain yield, and harvest index). The results of the principal component analysis showed that four components account for 76.7% of the total variation, giving a clear idea of the structure underlying the variables analysed. Cluster analysis using un-weighted Pair Group Method using Arithmetic Average linkage (UWPGMA) classified the twenty varieties into five distinct groups. The maximum inter-cluster distances were; recorded 8.05 between cluster I & V, 6.67 between cluster I and IV; and 5.5 between Cluster I and III, indicating that the possibility of high heterosis if individuals from these clusters are cross bred. The results of the principal component analysis were closely in line with those of the cluster analysis. This study has provided useful information, on evaluation of genetic diversity of rice varieties and will indicate the way, how plant breeders screen out large populations and to develop new breeding protocols for rice improvement
Morphology and Starch Production Potential of Sago Palm Found in Village Haripau, East Mimika Subdistrict, Mimika, Papua Province, Indonesia
Get PDFPapua, Indonesia is the largest sago palm (Metroxylon spp) distribution area in the world. Most (85%) of the total sago area in the world is in Indonesia, and 95% of the sago area in Indonesia is in Papua and West Papua. Field observation of accessions of sago palm was conducted at the sago growing area at Hiripau village. The aim of the study was to determine the diversity of sago palm accessions from Hiripau village and compare their morphology and starch production. Based on interviews with the local farmers, the four accessions of sago palm that dominated the Hiripau area are Nakowai, Mapartaro, Tuhai, and Korearipi. These accessions vary in the spine characteristics, features of the trunk, leaf, pith, and starch production. Sago Mapartaro leaves are the largest (23.56 m2) and the leaflet areas are almost twice the size of the other accessions. Tuhai has the highest starch yield but it has high ash content resulting in low starch quality
Forage Potential of Plant Species Found in Various Ecosystems in Musi Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatera, Indonesia
Get PDFForage is an important component in sustainable smallholder livestock. The purpose of the study was to identify the diversity of natural plant species in various ecosystems, as well as their potential as forage. Based on our surveys of palm oil plantation, rubber plantation, and home gardens using the quadrant method, we identified approximately 50 species comprising the natural vegetation of our study area. Out of 50, we identified 39 broad-leaved species, 9 grasses (Poaceae) species, and 2 sedges (Cyperaceae) species. The palm oil plantation had 29 species dominated by Ottochloa nodosa (11.92%) and Asystasia gangetica (11.40%); 25 species were found in the rubber plantation dominated by Cynodon dactylon (28.42%) and Panicum repens (9.20%), and home gardens contained 30 species dominated by Eleusine indica (13.39%) and Ageratum conyzoides (9.60%). Among the 29 species found in the palm oil plantation, 13 were observed to have low palatability scores, and 16 species have high palatability scores. Based on their high palatability scores, the following species can be utilized as forage for Balinese cattle: Cyrtococcum acrescens, Eleusine indica, Centrosema pubescens, Paspalum conjugatum, and Sida rhombifolia
Growth and Total Flavonoid of Three Celery (Apium graveolens L.) Varieties in Shaded Environments in The Tropical Lowland
No full textCelery is an introduced species of family Apiaceae from the subtropical areas. Celery leaves and stalks contain vitamins, phenolic compounds, essential oils, and other nutrients that have been used in the foods, cosmetics, and herbal industries. Shading can create a better environment for varieties adapted to the highlands to succeed to grown in the lowlands. However, the changes in the growing environment including light and temperatures might affect the flavonoid production. This study aimed to determine the growth and production of flavonoids of the highland celery varieties in the lowlands when treated with various level of shades, i.e. without shade/control, 50% shade, and 70% shade. The study used “Aroma”, a celery variety adapted to the highland, and “Summer Green”, a variety adapted to the lowland. Increases in the shade levels decrease air temperature, increases air humidity, and significantly improved the growth and production of the three celery varieties in terms of plant height, leaflets number except for the “Aroma” variety; increased leaf area, stem diameter, tiller number, crown diameter, total wet weight, total dry weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, anthocyanins, plant N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphor), K (Potassium), and total flavonoids. “Amigo” exposed to 50% shade had significantly higher flavonoids than “Aroma”. Providing shades to “Summer Green” resulted in the lower levels of flavonoids compared to without shading
A Meta-Analysis of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Stay-Green in Sorghum
Get PDFA strong association between stay-green and post-flowering drought tolerance in sorghum has been established previously. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to find relevant genetic intervals that regulate stay-green in sorghum and thereby affect drought resilience. Meta-QTL analysis was performed to combine 115 QTLs mapped in previous studies and locate regions where recurrent QTLs occurred across experiments. This approach overcomes the constraints of a single QTL association experiment by increasing heterogeneity in populations and environments. The analysis included the construction of consensus maps, QTL projection, and QTL clustering. We report 32 Meta-QTL for stay-green and their position relative to genetic markers on the sorghum genome. The results from this study will facilitate future attempts aiming to improve and understand drought tolerance in Sorghum by the use of fine mapping and marker-assisted selection