Management of Nutrient Deficiency on Inceptisols to Improve Maize Growth

Maize is very prospective to be developed in upland Inceptisols if supported by proper soil management and suitable varieties. Research aimed to study nutrient limiting factors of Inceptisols for the development of maize (Zea mays L.). Research had been conducted at chemical laboratory and green house of Center for Soil and Agroclimate Research in Bogor by using soil samples taken from Sukabumi, West Java. The green house experiment utilized minus one test method with randomized block design, eleven treatments, and three replications. Maize crop of Pioner C3 variety was used as plant indicator. Parameters employed in this experiment were: (1) the dry weight of 4 week old-maize, (2) plant nutrients uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, and Cu; and (3) soil properties analyses on soil pH H2O, Org-C, total-N, P-HCl, K-HCl, P-Bray 1, P-Olsen,exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K, CEC, exchangeable Al and H, as well as Cu and Zn-DTPA. The results showed that N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, and Zn fertilizations increased soil N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, and Zn contents as well as plant nutrient uptake. Fertilization of Ca (lime) decreased soil exchangeable Al and H as well as plant Al uptake. The application of rice straw increased soil organic C and CEC, and also plant nutrient uptake. N, P, and K nutrients, and organic matter were found out as the primary constraints to maize growth in Inceptisols of Sukabumi. To solve the limiting factors, the soils need to be treated with 270-300 kg urea, 240 kg SP-36, 100 kg KCl, and 3-5 tons organic matter per ha. It is recommended that urea and KCl to be applied gradually : before planting, 4 and 6 weeks after planting, respectively. SP-36 fertilizer is mixed with urea and KCl and drown into the soil before planting. Organic matter was formerly composted and mixed with the soils during land preparation

Nitrogen Dynamic From Applied Rice Straw Compost in Flooded Soil

. Nitrogen is the main fertilizer to increase rice production. Nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency is affected by organic matter content in the soil. Understanding decomposition and nitrogen release of plant materials is important to better manage organic inputs. The objective of this research was to study the nitrogen dynamics on flooded soil with rice straw compost application. The experiment was carried out in green house of Indonesian Soil Research Institute (ISRI) on October 2010 to January 2011. Soil samples were taken from Ciruas, Banten. The analysis of ammonium and nitrate were conducted 14, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days after planting. The result showed that ammonium and nitrate in soil with straw compost applications were lower than that of chemical fertilizer application. After day 20, the concentration of ammonium in soil decreased to the same level for all treatments. The concentration of nitrate, after increase on day 40 decreased until the last obeservation (day 60). Nitrogen concentration in straw was higher under chemical fertilizer than that of straw compost application. In rice grain, N concentrations were not significantly different among the two treatments

Land Productivity Enhancement by Sulfur Nutrient Management in Vertisol Rice Field

Sulfur is a secondary soil macro nutrients needed by plants as the most important part of the essential amino acids (cystine and methionine), protein synthesis, chlorophyll production and carbohydrate metabolism. The research aimed to study the land productivity improvement of Vertisol rice field by controlling the sulfur nutrient. The study was conducted in Dawu, Paron, and Guyung, Gerih, Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia, during the dry season 2013 and 2014. A randomized complete block design, with eight treatments and three replications were applied. The treatments were some rates of S-fertilizer application combined with in situ straw compost, ZA and Kieserit. Experimental plots dimension is 6 m x 5 m. Ciherang and Membramo were rice varieties grown in legowo 2:1 system. The results showed that S-fertilizer application can increase the weight of dry grain harvest and dry grain milled. The optimum doses of S-fertilizer were 24 kg S ha-1. Kieserit application resulted in less grain yield than ZA. Manure can increase the weight of dry grain harvest and tend to increase the weight of dry milled grain compared to those of the control treatments

Release of Silicon From Silicate Materials and Its Uptake by Rice Plant

Plants absorb silicon (Si) from soil solution in the form of monosilicic acid, also called orthosilicic acid (H4SiO4). Application of organic and inorganic materials containing readily soluble Si can increase Si supply in the soil and its uptake by plant. The study aimed to evaluate the release of Si from organic and inorganic material sources and its uptake by rice plant. The released phosphorus (P) from those materials was also evaluated. The inorganic materials evaluated included fly ash, steel slag, silica gel and Japanese silica gel (JSG), while the organic materials consisted of rice husk ash (RHA), rice husk burnt (RHB), media of mushroom (MM), cacao shell biochar (cacao SB) and rice straw compost (RSC). The dynamics of Si and P were observed by periodical samplings at 7, 17, 24 and 34 days after transplanting (DAT). Tiller number and plant height were measured at 16, 21 and 36 DAT. The results showed that Si concentration in solution derived from inorganic material was highest for JSG followed by silica gel (1.107 and 0.806 mmol L-1, respectively). The release of Si from organic material was higher for RHB and RHA (0.618 and 0.539 mmol L-1, respectively). Cacao SB, silica gel, JSG and RHB significantly increased plant height at 36 DAT. Meanwhile, Si materials did not significantly affect the tiller number. Of the materials used, steel slag and JSG significantly affected Si uptake by rice plant

CALIBRATION OF SOIL NUTRIENT MEASUREMENTS WITH MULTIPLE EXTRACTIONS USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA (ICP)

Instrument Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) merupakan alat yang digunakan untuk mengukur unsur hara dalam tanah, tanaman, pupuk dan air, pengukuran baik diperlukan pengekstrak spesifik. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Maret sampai November 2013, di Laboratorium Penelitian dan Uji Tanah, Balai Penelitian Tanah menggunakan tanah dari daerah Banten, Jawa Barat, dan Jawa Tengah. Percobaan dilakukan dengan metode statistik dua rata-rata, tanah yang digunakan 100 g tanah kering angin yang dianalisis dengan pengekstrak Morgan Venema, Pengabuan basah HNO3 dan HClO4, Morgan Wolf. Pengamatan dilakukan terhadap sifat kimia tanah dengan berbagai konsentrasi dan beberapa pengekstrak. Pengekstrak terbaik ditentukan berdasarkan nilai R2 dalam dan signifikansi persamaan regresi antara hasil analisis tanah beberapa pengekstrak dengan persen hasil dan serapan hara yang diukur dengan ICP dan AAS. Hasil percobaan menunjukkan bahwa alat ICP-OES dan AAS dapat digunakan dengan menggunakan beberapa pengekstrak, ini ditunjukkan oleh data koefisien regresi yang nyata pada berbagai pengekstrak. Parameter K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn nyata diperoleh pada pengekstrak HNO3 dan HClO4, yang dapat dikatakan pengekstrak terbaik digunakan pada alat ICP dan AAS.Pengekstrak Morgan Wolf diperoleh hasil tidak nyata pada pengukuran Cu, ini menunjukkan bahwa parameter Cu pada pengekstrak Morgan Wolf kurang cocok dianalisa dengan ICP. Kata kunci: ICP, pengekstrak terbaik, batas kritis, dan batas kecukupan, hara makro dan mikroInductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) instrument is a tool used to measure nutrients in the soil, plants, fertilizers, and water, good measurement requires a specific extraction. This study was conducted from March to November 2013 at the Soil Testing and Research Laboratory, Indonesian Soil Research Institute. The soils were collected from the Banten, West Java, and Central Java. The experiment was carried out by the statistical method of two means. The soil used was 100 g of wind-dried soil, which was analyzed by extracting Morgan Venema, Wet Ashing HNO3 and HClO4, Morgan Wolf. The observation was made on the chemical properties of the soil with various concentrations and several extracts. The best extraction was determined based on the value of R2 and the significance of the regression equation between the results of soil analysis of several extractions with the percent yield and nutrient uptake as measured by ICP and AAS tools. The experimental results showed that the ICP-OES and AAS tools could be used with some extractions. This was indicated by the significant regression coefficient data on various extraction. The parameters K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn were obtained in the HNO3 and HClO4 extraction, which could be said to be the best extractions used in ICP and AAS equipment. Morgan Wolf extract obtained insignificant results on Cu measurements. This showed that the Cu parameters in the Morgan Wolf extract were not suitable for analysis with ICP

PENINGKATAN PERTUMBUHAN KELAPA SAWIT DI PEMBIBITAN DENGAN PEMUPUKAN NPK / Increasing Growth of Oil Palm Seedling with NPK Fertilization

Fertilization is a very important factor of production. Fertlizer on oil palm nurseries need to consider the soil used as a medium. Excessive or insufficient fertilization resulted in inferior growth. The aim of this research was to study the effects of compound fertilizer NPK 11-7-12 on the growth of oil palm seedlings and determine the optimum dose for oil palm nursery seedlings. The research was conducted in a greenhouse at Soil Research Institute, Laladon, Bogor, in October 2012 - June 2013. The design was randomized complete block, 6 treatments and 5 replications. The treatment consisted of 4 (1) NPK 11-7-12, (2) single NPK fertilizer (Urea, SP-36, KCl), (3) NPK 15-15-15, and (4) control treatment (without NPK). Doses of NPK fertilizer was 0.00, 2.50, 5.00, 7.50, and 10.00 g NPK/tree. Beside NPK fertilizer, each polybag was added with Kieserite 1 g/tree. Urea, SP-36, KCl, Kieserite and NPK was given 12 times. Fertilization was performed at 1 week after transplanting, and then performed every 2 weeks up to 12 times. The results showed that NPK fertilizer either single or compound able to increase the growth of oil palm plantations. Effect of NPK 11-7-12 fertilizer was the same with NPK 15- 15-15 and better than the single NPK fertilizer. The optimum dosage of NPK 11-7-12 fertilizer for oil palm seedling is 5 – 6 g/tree.Keywords: compound NPK, palm oil, inceptisols, seedlings AbstrakPupuk merupakan faktor produksi yang sangat penting. Pemberian pupuk pada pembibitan kelapa sawit perlu mempertimbangkan tanah yang digunakan sebagai media. Pemupukan yang berlebihan atau kurang berakibat kurang baik dan pertumbuhan bibit kelapa sawit kurang optimum. Penelitian bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh pupuk majemuk NPK 11-7-12 terhadap pertumbuhan kelapa sawit di pembibitan dan menentukan dosis optimum untuk pembibitan kelapa sawit. Penelitian dilakukan di rumah kaca Balai Penelitian Tanah di Laladon, Bogor, pada Oktober 2012 - Juni 2013. Rancangan percobaan menggunakan acak kelompok, 7 perlakuan dan 5 ulangan. Perlakuan terdiri dari 4 dosis pupuk NPK 11-7-12, perlakuan pupuk NPK tunggal (Urea, SP-36 dan KCl), dan pupuk NPK 15-15-15, serta kontrol (tanpa NPK). Dosis pupuk majemuk NPK 11-7-12 adalah: 0,00; 2,50; 5,00; 7,50 dan 10,00 g NPK/pohon. Selain pupuk NPK setiap polibag ditambah 1 g pupuk kieserit/pohon. Pupuk Urea, SP-36, KCl, kieserit dan NPK diberikan sebanyak 12 kali. Pemupukan dilakukan pada saat tanaman berumur 1 minggu setelah tanam, selanjutnya dilakukan setiap 2 minggu sampai 12 kali aplikasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pupuk NPK baik tunggal maupun majemuk mampu meningkatkan pertumbuhan tanaman kelapa sawit. Pengaruh pupuk NPK 11-7-12 sama dengan pupuk NPK 15-15-15 dan lebih baik dibandingkan dengan pupuk NPK tunggal. Takaran optimum pupuk NPK 11-7-12 untuk bibit kelapa sawit adalah 5-6 g/pohon.Kata kunci: NPK majemuk, kelapa sawit, Inceptisols, bibi

CALIBRATION OF SOIL NUTRIENT MEASUREMENTS WITH MULTIPLE EXTRACTIONS USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA (ICP)

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) instrument is a tool used to measure nutrients in the soil, plants, fertilizers, and water, good measurement requires a specific extraction. This study was conducted from March to November 2013 at the Soil Testing and Research Laboratory, Indonesian Soil Research Institute. The soils were collected from the Banten, West Java, and Central Java. The experiment was carried out by the statistical method of two means. The soil used was 100 g of wind-dried soil, which was analyzed by extracting Morgan Venema, Wet Ashing HNO3 and HClO4, Morgan Wolf. The observation was made on the chemical properties of the soil with various concentrations and several extracts. The best extraction was determined based on the value of R2 and the significance of the regression equation between the results of soil analysis of several extractions with the percent yield and nutrient uptake as measured by ICP and AAS tools. The experimental results showed that the ICP-OES and AAS tools could be used with some extractions. This was indicated by the significant regression coefficient data on various extraction. The parameters K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn were obtained in the HNO3 and HClO4 extraction, which could be said to be the best extractions used in ICP and AAS equipment. Morgan Wolf extract obtained insignificant results on Cu measurements. This showed that the Cu parameters in the Morgan Wolf extract were not suitable for analysis with ICP.</jats:p