Timing and Rates of Two Products Using Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) to Control Algae in Ebb and Flow Hydroponic Systems

Algae is not desirable in hydroponics and creates problems such as reduced yield and decreased dissolved oxygen, and affects the physiology of plants and, thus, needs to be controlled. An experiment was conducted in Ebb and Flow hydroponic systems to investigate the application timing and rates of two hydrogen peroxide products (Zerotol and PERpose Plus). Treatments included 35 mL weekly, 35 mL biweekly, 70 mL weekly, 70 mL biweekly, and a control with no application of hydrogen peroxide using a 40-gallon reservoir of water. Pepper ‘Early Jalapeno’ and ‘Lunchbox Red’ and tomato ‘Geronimo’ and ‘Little Sicily’ were used. The study was conducted in a split-plot design with two replications over time. Plant growth parameters, including plant height, flower number, net CO2 assimilation, fresh weight, and dry weight were recorded. Algae data, including dry weight, algae cell counts, and chl a were also measured. Results indicated that with increasing rate and timing of either product decreased algae counts, dry weight, and chl a values. However, weekly and biweekly application of 70 mL of both products were not different for algae quantification. In pepper, plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, and root fresh and dry weight were found to be significantly greater with Zerotol 35 mL biweekly, Zerotol 70 mL weekly, PERpose Plus 35 mL biweekly, and PERpose Plus 70 mL weekly compared with the control. ‘Lunchbox Red’ was significantly greater than ‘Early Jalapeno’ in all growth parameters, except soil plant analysis development (SPAD). ‘Lunchbox Red’ had the greatest flower number, with weekly application of 70 mL PERpose Plus. In tomato, greatest flower number and SPAD were observed in ‘Geronimo’ with a weekly application of 70 mL PERpose Plus and 70 mL Zerotol, respectively. Greater shoot and root fresh and dry weight for both tomato cultivars were recorded with 35 mL biweekly or 70 mL weekly application with either product. The results from both plants as well as algae analysis suggest that weekly application of 70 mL of either Zerotol or PERpose Plus produced the best results in terms of controlling algae and improving the growth of pepper and tomato plants.

Producing Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum L. cv. ‘Kuching’) Rootstock in a Deep-Water Culture Hydroponic System

Stem cutting is the common planting material for black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) farmers mainly because the method is cheap, easy to obtain, and produces satisfactory number of new plantlets, which are relatively genetically uniform to their parent. However, soil propagation of stem cuttings renders both the stem and developing roots susceptible to soil borne pathogens, ultimately compromising the quality of the plant. Good quality rootstock of the new plant promotes faster, safer, and better black pepper plant establishment. Hydroponic farming thus offers a good platform for producing quality rootstock of the new plants and has gained importance to many farmers due to its flexibility in manipulating plant growth conditions and timely pathogen management, thus safer, healthier, and faster growth. This study investigated the growing media suitable for rootstock growth of P. nigrum L. cv. ‘Kuching’ and compared the rooting ability between stem cuttings with adventitious roots at the time of planting and stem cuttings without any root at the time of planting. In a laboratory setting, a total of 210 stem cuttings were hydroponically planted in seven nutrient compositions, with each nutrient composition containing an equal number of stem cuttings with adventitious roots at the time of planting and stem cuttings without any root at the time of planting. Hoagland solution supplemented with 0.005 mM potassium silicate solution (T4) and Hoagland solution supplemented with 2 mM salicylic acid solution (T6) showed faster root initiation whereas T1 (Hoagland solution only) produced the highest increment in root length followed by T6. The least suitable nutrient composition was T5 [T4 + 6 mL of 1 M Ca (NO3)2.4H2O solution]. The total number of roots was highest in plants from stem cuttings which had some adventitious roots at the time of planting, whereas roots in plants from stem cuttings which did not have any root at the time of planting, increased in root length faster than plants withstem cuttings which had adventitious roots at the time of planting.

Biostimulant Effects of Micro Carbon Technology (MCT®)-Based Fertilizers on Soil and Capsicum annuum Culture in Growth Chamber and Field

Due to the environmental issues that conventional fertilization is causing, biostimulants are proposed as environmentally friendly alternative for crop nutrition in agriculture. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of new Micro Carbon Technology (MCT®) fertilizers with biostimulant activity based on humic acids biologically digested from leonardite on pepper plant growth in three different soils with different textures. The assays were performed under controlled conditions in a growth chamber and in commercial greenhouses in Spain. The effects on soil were analyzed after the addition of the fertilizers by microbial respiration and enzymatic activities (hydrolase, dehydrogenase and urease). For the plant assays, biometric parameters (fresh weight and fruit hardness) and foliar analysis (chlorophyll indices and nutrients) were evaluated. Under controlled conditions, the use of these biostimulants resulted in a greater soil microbial activity in a 24 h interval with increased soil enzymatic activity. In plants, a positive correlation was found between fertilizers with biostimulant activity and Dualex indices of leaves and content of macronutrients Ca and Mg. In commercial greenhouses, the fertilizers with biostimulant activity strongly depended on the soil texture. In conclusion, these products have real potential to replace conventional fertilizers in commercial production fields.

The Effect of Ammonium Nitrate Ratio and Support Types on the NPK Uptake and Growth of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Field Conditions

The study’s objective was to determine the effect of the NO3-: NH4+ratio and types of support on NPK uptake and pepper plant growth in field conditions. The study used a completely randomized block design with three replications. The first factor was the type of support, being the deadwood and living supports in the form of Gliricidia sp. and Ceiba pentandra. The second factor was the ratio of N fertilizer forms, which were 100% NO3-, 100% NH4+, 50% NO3-:50% NH4+, 75% NO3-:25% NH4+ and 25% NO3-:75% NH4+. The results have demonstrated that the uptake of N, P, and K, as well as the plant growth, were not affected by the interaction of the N fertilizer form ratio with the types of support. In field conditions, the black pepper prefers the N fertilizer in the form of 50% NO3-:50% NH4+. The pepper plants that were given N fertilizer in a combination of 50% NO3-:50% NH4+ have demonstrated an N, P, and K uptake, and morphology and plant dry weight were higher than the ratio of other forms of N fertilizers.

Effect of Dose and Compound Fertilizer on Growth and Results of Red Chili

Effect of Dose and compound Fertilizer on the Growth and Yield of Hot Pepper plant (Capsicum annum, L.). This study aims to determine the effect of Formula Application and dosage of complete compound fertilizer on the growth and yield of chili plants. This study used a factorial Randomized Block Design (RAK) with nine treatment combinations and three replications, each treatment consisting of 3 plants. The combination of these treatments used two Complete Compound Fertilizer Formulas (P). Formula 1 (P1) Complete Compound Fertilizer Pril (PMLP), 2 (P2) : Complete Compound Fertilizer Tablets (PMLT), and 3 (P3) as a control mixture of single fertilizer Urea, SP 36, and KCL ( 1:1:1). The second formula is fertilizer dosage (D) which consists of three levels, namely D1 (30 g fertilizer/plant), D2 (40 g fertilizer/plant), and D3 (50 fertilizer/plant). The variables observed in this study were plant height, number of fruit per plant, fruit weight per plant, dry weight of plant stover. Based on the results of the research that has been carried out, it is concluded that the treatment of Complete Compound Fertilizer Formula (P) has a very significant effect on all observed variables, namely: plant height, number of fruits per plant, the weight of dry root, and weight of fruit per plant. While the Fertilizer Dosage (D): 30, 40, and 50 g did not show a significant difference in the results for all observed variables, and the interaction between the two did not show significant differences in all observed variables.

Effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the growth of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the growth and production of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.). Design/Methodology/Approach: Twelve strains of PGPR were evaluated in habanero pepper seeds of the orange variety. The species of PGPR were Rhizobium leguminosarum: (CP Méx 46), Pseudomonas spp: (P fluorescens, C2, A7, A9, A9m, Avm); Azospirillum, (Sp7, Sp 59, UAP 40, UAP154), plus a control treatment, giving a total of 13 treatments. The study variables were seedling emergence (SE), plant height (PH), white fruit incidence (WFI), virotic plants (VP), days to flowering (DF) and fresh fruit yield (FFY). The experimental design was random blocks with four repetitions. Results: An effect on the growth of habanero pepper from PGPRs was found in all the variables studied. Seedling emergence and their height was favored by strains Sp9 (84.16%) and A7 (73.44). The number of white flies decreased with the inoculation of CP Méx 46, while the incidence of virosis decreased in plants inoculated with SP9 (32.00%). The highest yield of fresh fruit was found in plants with the strain AVM with 16636 kg ha-1. Findings/Conclusions: The effect of inoculation with PGPR is in function of the strain used and the study variable, growth stage and development stage of the habanero pepper plant.

IMPLEMENTASI METODE CERTAINTY FACTOR DALAM SISTEM PAKAR UNTUK MENGIDENTIFIKASI PENYAKIT TANAMAN LADA

Pepper is an agricultural commodity that has a high selling value and is resistant to disease. Identifying the disease in pepper requires knowledge from agricultural experts to evaluate the symptoms of the disease being experienced. Involving an agricultural expert certainly has drawbacks in terms of slow handling, less effective management of large amounts of data. So we need a system that can accommodate these problems. Expert system is one of the sub-branches of science in the field of artificial intelligence, where expert knowledge is expressed in a model with an intelligent-based system. The expert system serves as an interactive consultant media in diagnosing pepper plant diseases based on symptoms. In producing the right decision, a process model is needed in the form of tracing rules and knowledge preference values based on input values in the form of probabilistic data / uncertainty for each symptom. Certainty factor modeling method has the ability to evaluate the preference value of expert knowledge. Based on the model and the weight value of each measure and level of symptoms, it can produce a high level of accuracy decision analysis. Expert systems have advantages that can accommodate expert knowledge in diagnosing pepper plant diseases in time series. This research can help farmers, researchers, experts or agencies in the field of agriculture to identify common diseases of pepper, so that it can provide basic knowledge about various types of diseases and treatment solutions to support the growth of pepper plants.

Growth, development and nutritional indices of tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (F) raised on bell pepper plants grown under elevated CO2 and temperature conditions

The experiment was conducted at experimental farm situated at 30◦5’N latitude and about 77◦11’E longitudes, an elevation of 1260 m above mean sea level of Department of Environmental Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during 2014 and 2015, to study the effect of elevated CO2 (eCO2) and elevated temperature (eT) on growth, development and nutritional indices of Spodopteralitura on bell pepper plant. Feeding trials with foliage feeding insect S. litura was conducted using foliage of bell pepper plants grown under four concentrations of CO2 and temperature, viz. three Open Top Chambers, (T1: OTC eCO2 550±10 ppm; T2: OTC with elevated temperature 1°C higher and eCO2 550±10 ppm; T3: OTC with ambient temperature and CO2 and T4: natural ambient air and temperature in open. Biochemical analysis of foliage revealed that plants grown under elevated CO2 had lower nitrogen. The larvae fed on eCO2 as well as eCO2 and temperature foliage exhibited greater consumption compared to the larvae fed on foliage under ambient CO2. Larval duration also increased by two days. The eCO2 and eCO2 and temperature foliage was more digestible with higher values of approximate digestibility. The relative consumption rate increased whereas the efficiency parameters, viz. efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD), and relative growth rate (RGR) decreased in eCO2 and eCO2 and temperature. The consumption and weight gain of the larvae were negatively and significantly influenced by leaf nitrogen.

Prospect of The Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) as Natural Product Used to an Herbal Medicine

Black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) is a popular spice that is grown as tropical and subtropical plant throughout the world. The leaf, flower, fruit, and root are the most important elements of the plant. Asexual or vegetative propagation is becoming highly popular, although the sexual approach is still used for pepper vine cultivation. For mass production of the pepper plant, in vitro culture is also used. The bioactive components contained in them are extremely important because of their therapeutic potential against a number of diseases. They are usually classed as functional foods because, in addition to providing basic nutrition, provide physiological benefits and help to avoid chronic illness. The main component of black pepper is piperine. It has a complex phyto-chemistry includes: Volatile oil, alkaloids, and oleoresins. Because of its free-radical scavenging properties, black pepper and its active components can be prevention and control of tumor growth. Piperine, which can bind and inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the sickness, is present in black pepper and has antibacterial and antiviral effects. Piperine, a key alkaloid component of black pepper, it also helps to cognitive brain function, nutritional absorption, and gastrointestinal health. Black pepper is known as the “King of Spices” as well as the “King of Medicinal Agents,” since it includes a wide variety of bioactive compounds with nutraceutical and pharmacological applications. An overview of the most common applications for black pepper, along with a strong evidence is present in this review.

Bacillus sp. Effectivity test as a growth supressor agent from antrachnose disease caused by Colletotrichum sp. on cayenne pepper plant (Capsicum frutescens L.)

cayenne pepper plant (Capsicum frutescens L.) is one of the popular vegetables comodity in Indonesia. cayenne pepper plant used as main ingridients for kitchen’s need, sauce industry, chili powder, instant noodle, and pharmaceutical industry. The demand for cayenne pepper plant in Indonesia is considerably high, about 4kg/capita/year. Antrachnose diseease caused by Colletotrichum sp is on of the major problem in cayenne pepper plant cultivation. Colletotrichum sp is from Nectrioidaceae family that has plenty of aservulus beneath the cuticule or on the surface, the diameter is up to 10 nm, black colored and many setae. Several bacteria has antagonist feature either around the root, or endophytes with the roots. Bacillus sp has antagonist feature is consider to treat the Antrachnose disease. Bacillus sp is a marine bactreia that can produce antibiotic to fight pathogen. However, from this study there are two different antagonist activites between two isolate due to different chytinolytic activitiy between the two isolate.