Comparative Effectiveness of Biogas Residue Acidification and Nitrification Inhibitors in Mitigating CO2 and N2O Emissions from Biogas Residue-Amended Soils

Owing to their high carbon and nitrogen contents, biogas residues may lead to higher carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils. Acidification of biogas slurry and application of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) could mitigate the emission of these gases. An incubation experiment was therefore carried out to investigate the effect of NIs, DMPP (3, 4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate), and PIADIN (active ingredients: 3.00–3.25% 1,2,4-triazole and 1.50–1.65% 3-methylpyrazole), on CO2 and N2O emissions from soils fertilized with biogas residues and acidified biogas residues. Biogas residues produced higher ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−-N) concentrations in soils which resulted in higher emissions of CO2-C and N2O-N than that from acidified biogas residues. Both DMPP and PIADIN significantly decreased the emissions of CO2-C (8.1–55.8%) and N2O-N (87–98%) and maintained lower NH4+-N and NO3−-N concentrations when compared to control (without nitrification inhibitors). However, the DMPP had a higher reduction capability for CO2-C emissions than PIADIN in acidified biogas residue applied soil. In conclusion, the acidification of biogas residues and application of NIs are effect in reducing gaseous emission from biogas residue fertilized soils and thus could improve the fertilizer effectiveness of the residues.

Effectiveness of MZ2000 Mycorrhizal Biofertilizer on The Growth of Sengon Seedlings

Mycorrhizal biofertilizers contain fungi that are capable of entering and symbiotic mutualism into plant roots and increasing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients. Fertilizer effectiveness testing is needed to protect consumers from the adverse effects of using biofertilizers. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of MZ2000 mycorrhizal biofertilizers and to know mycorrhizal root infections in sengon seedlings in nurseries. The combination treatment of 30 g MZ2000 mycorrhizal biofertilizer with 5 g NPK fertilizer gave the best sengon growth results although it was not significantly different in several parameters compared to the combination treatment of MZ2000 fertilizer dosage and other NPK fertilizers, with the value of agronomic relativity (Relative Agronomic Effectiveness / RAE) 580.80% for high growth and 288.72% for growth in stem diameter and incremental benefit cost ratio (IBCR) analysis of farming by 2.48. So that the dosage of the combination treatment of mycorrhizal biofertilizers and NPK fertilizer is most agronomically and economically effective. With the effectiveness of the fertilizer, the MZ2000 mycorrhizal biofertilizer can be declared to have passed the field effectiveness test.

Development of granular urea-zeolite slow release fertilizer using inclined pan granulator

Slow release fertilizers (SRFs) are so crucial in improvement of agriculture productions. To increase urea fertilizer effectiveness and efficiency, the product could be modified in the form of SRFs. The objective is to conduct slow release urea fertilizer. During granulation, particle sizes of urea and natural zeolite mixture (50, 60 and 80 mesh), binder solution with different percentage (2% to 10%) of starch, and clay additives (5%, 7.5%, and 10%) were used. The obtained granule was further analyzed using percolation reactor to determine the slow release rate. Leachate from reactors was collected, by using UV-visible spectrophotometric method, concentration of dissolved urea was determined. The granule size of 3-4 mm, the urea-zeolite mixture particle size of 60-mesh, the percentage of clay addition in the granulation process of 7.5%, the percentage of starch addition in binder solution of 3% are selected to be the best in term of the roughness of the granules, economic aspects, and slow release rate. In addition, it is proportionally defined the release time of nutrient from experiment and from simulated program is at least for three months which is plenty of time for crops, especially for rice. Key words: Slow Release Fertilizer, Zeolite, Urea, Inclined pan granulatorAbstrakSlow release fertilizers (SRFs) memiliki peranan yang sangat penting dalam peningkatan produksi pertanian. Untuk meningkatkan efisiensi dan efektifitas pupuk urea, produk pupuk bisa dimodifikasi dalam bentuk SFRs. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk membuat slow release urea fertilizer. Selama proses granulasi, digunakan ukuran partikel campuran urea dan zeolit alam (50, 60 dan 80 mesh), cairan perekat dengan persentase yang berbeda (2% sampai 10%) starch, dan tambahan tanah liat (5%, 7,5%, dan 10%). Butiran-butiran (granul) yang diperoleh selanjutnya dilakukan analisis menggunakan reaktor perkolasi digunakan untuk menentukan laju slow release. Leachate dari reaktor dikumpulkan, kemudian konsentrasi urea terlarut dapat diketahui dengan menggunakan metode spektrofotometri UV-Vis. Granul 3-4 mm, ukuran 60 mesh campuran antara urea dan zeolit, persentasi penambahan tanah liat dalam proses granulasi sebesar 7,5%, dan persentasi penambahan starch dalam larutan perekat sebesar 3% menunjukkan hasil yang terbaik untuk tingkat kekasaran butiran, aspek ekonomi dan menunjukkan pelepasan nutrisi lambat. Secara proporsional dapat dikatakan bahwa waktu pelepasan nutrisi yang diperoleh dari percobaan dan simulasi program, setidaknya untuk tiga bulan sangat cukup untuk tanaman, khususnya untuk padi.Kata kunci: Slow release fertilizers, Zeolit, Urea, granulator panci miring.

The Way of Yield Increasing and Cost Reducing in Agriculture: Smart Irrigation and Fertigation

The plants can only use the around 50% of the applied nitrogenous fertilizer. It has been observed that the dynamic fertigation applications help to improve the fertilizer effectiveness. In the dynamic fertigation approach, water and plant nutritional elements are calculated and determined according to the plant dry matter generation rate and root volume. Smart agriculture is an knowledge based decision making approach established upon quantification and observations of the changes in each level of production. With this system, saving can be provided by only supplying the plant’s daily need of water and fertilizer and preventing the excess irrigation and fertilizing, so yield increase can be achieved by keeping away the plants from the stress conditions. Agricultural production can be increased five times by irrigation but shortening in water sources and decrease in quality reasoned by fast growing are restricted of irrigation which is the main user of freshwater sources. Increasing the water and fertilizer effectiveness with the smart irrigation techniques which can save water and fertilization management applications are the essential strategies to be able to reach the yield increase in order to supply the growing food needs of developing population and help to minimize the environmental damage. In the study, the researches and applications related to smart irrigation and fertilization were tried to be included in a wide scope and tried to keep a light to obtain higher yield with less water and fertilizer use in agriculture.

Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) and Peach (Prunus persica L.) Phenological Growth Stages According to BBCH Scale

The study present the detail descriptions of the stages of stone fruits growth, Prunus avium and Prunus persica, according to the BBCH scale. Phenological data were collected from 4 years old trees of P.avium and P. persica. The development stage of each organ was recorded during two growing seasons (2015-2016). Photographs of each stage were taken to illustrate the phenological growth stages. An accurate understanding of these stages is important for the correct timing of orchard management, as well as for disease and pest management, irrigation, flower thinning, fertilizer effectiveness etc.

Study the Release of Urea from Agrium® Coated Urea Using UV-Vis Spectrometer

Elucidating the release pattern of controlled release fertilizer (CRF) is important not just for manufactures but also for farmers because it assists them in making judgments of fertilizer effectiveness and nutrient planning. Investigation on the release pattern of different types of CRF both in the laboratory and in the crop-field is crucial in order to determine the effectiveness of fertilizer on plant growth. Consequently, the fertilizer application could be planned to meet the crop requirement. This paper presents a practical approach to analyze the release pattern using Agrium®coated urea. UV-Vis spectrometer is employed to analyze the amount of nitrogen released. The approach reduced analytical error by preventing sample dilution before measuring. According to laboratory results, UV-Vis spectrometer has shown a good potential to be used in studying the nutrient release behavior from CRF. A sigmoidal shape has been obtained from the release profile, and is corresponded with findings in other studies. The results satisfy the criteria for CRF specified by European Committee for Standardization. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the UV-Vis spectrometer is a promising equipment, which can be utilized in studying controlled release behavior.

Determinants of Perceived Effectiveness of Organic Fertilizer Used by Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study examined the determinants of the perceived effectiveness of an organic fertilizer used by farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria. A stratified and purposive sampling technique was used to select 110 respondents from three major vegetation zones of the study area. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings of the study while the Chi-square analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. Data revealed that 77.3% were aware of the organic fertilizer while only 60.0% of those aware made use of the fertilizer. Among the users, 37.3% applied 25 g of the organic fertilizer per crop stand which was largely on maize (92.16%). Average rate of application was 0.40 tons per hectare. Application method was mainly through side dressing (58.82%) and ‘dig and cover’ (29.41%). Time of application varied from the time of sowing to 4 weeks after planting with the majority of farmers (64.71%) applying at 2 weeks after planting. Interest in the continuous use of the fertilizer was high (62.75%) and the majority of users (52.95%) perceived that the organic fertilizer was effective. Chi-square analysis revealed that the rate and method of application were significantly related to the effectiveness of the fertilizer (χ2 = 15.66, P < 0.05 and χ2 = 8.79, P < 0.05, respectively). Rate and method of application are thus significant determinants to fertilizer effectiveness. Extension activity should therefore focus on farmer education to ensure proper use of the organic fertilizer for maximum productivity