The Effects of Formulation on Imidacloprid Dissipation in Grapes and Vine Leaves and on Required Pre-Harvest Intervals under Lebanese Climatic Conditions

In this study, imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, currently having a specified European Commission MRL value for vine leaves (2 mg kg−1), was applied on a Lebanese vineyard under different commercial formulations: as a soluble liquid (SL) and water dispersible granules (WDG). In Lebanon, many commercial formulations of imidacloprid are subject to the same critical good agricultural practice (cGAP). It was, therefore, important to verify the variability in dissipation patterns according to matrix nature and formulation type. Random samplings of grapes and vine leaves were performed starting at 2 days until 18 days after treatment. Residue extractions were performed according to the QuEChERS method and the analytical determination using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The SL formulation yielded significantly higher initial deposit than the WDG formulation on grapes and vine leaves. The formulation type did not significantly affect the dissipation rates; the estimated half-lives in grapes and vine leaves were 0.5 days for all imidacloprid formulations. No pre-harvest intervals were necessary on grapes. PHIs of 3.7 days for the SL formulation and 2.8 days for the WDG formulation were estimated on vine leaves. The results showed that the type of formulation and the morphological and physiological characteristics of the matrix had an effect on the initial deposits, and thus residue levels, but not on the dissipation patterns.

Impact of the agricultural technology transfer to the production of independent palm oil smallholders: a review

Oil palm is the most efficient oil crop that is vital to oil commodity due to its versatility for being a practical raw material in producing a number of commercial products globally. Therefore, the supply of palm oil is believed to increase in order to meet the growing demand of the world population. Malaysia is the second-largest palm oil exporter in South -East Asia after Indonesia with 40% of the total output is contributed by Malaysia’s smallholders. However, reports stated that the yield among smallholder’s plantations is low and eventually will affect the national Gross Domestic Products (GDP). In 2019, Malaysia’s palm oil total GDP was estimated to be 38.24 billion Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). In relation to the issue, low yield among the smallholders is believed to be caused by the lack of application and awareness of current technology available to aid plantation operation. Hence, agricultural technology transfer is the modern agricultural invention to improve oil palm production productivity. A review paper on the agricultural technology transfer was carried out to identify the impact of the technology transfer on palm oil smallholders' production. This approach encompassed the introduction of technology to smallholders, the technology transfer process and technology applications awareness for smallholders. The data was collected through reading on research papers, especially on productivity and engagement of smallholders on the understanding of the technology transfer through the questionnaire. The review concluded that smallholders had practised a good agricultural practice. However, low productivity was caused by the inadequate inputs among the farmers regarding the available technology, crop protection and management. Therefore, technology transfer and technology recommendation is proven to effectively help broaden smallholders’ inputs and knowledge to increase their socioeconomic status and plantation productivity.

Modern Short Food Supply Chain, Good Agricultural Practices, and Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework and Case Study in Vietnam

The rapid increases in environmental pollution, urbanization, health concerns, and technological progress enhance the demand for greener, healthier, and fairer food production and consumption. The short food supply chain (SFSC) becomes one of the crucial solutions for these issues. This study aims to propose a conceptual framework of the SFSC, assess the short vegetable supply chain (SVSC) in Vietnam, identify its barriers and challenges, and explore interventions and support as key success factors of the SVSC by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This study initially proposes the SFSC framework with six pillars and 28 indicators, this model is used to assess the SVSC. The results show that the SVSC brings various social, economic, and environmental benefits: First, it can increase farmers’ income, employment, fairness, and health. Second, the SVSC can decrease environmental pollution, food waste, and energy consumption. Third, it can improve food quality and consumers’ health. Fourth, the SVSC enhances on-farm education, agricultural tourism, local livestock farming, and traditional culture and relationship. However, the SVSC encounters various barriers and challenges impeding its performances and benefits. The vegetable value chain gains several interventions and support from the government and the project to overcome these barriers. Overall, the SFSC, good agricultural practice, and sustainability are strongly associated: good agricultural practice and sustainability are inherent in the SFSC.

Quality and benefits of good agricultural practice method on choy sum cultivation in northern Cambodia

Choy sum (Brassica chinensis var. parachinensis) is one of the important green leafy vegetable crops widely produced and consumed in Cambodia. Most of the farmers practically use chemical inputs to increase their choy sum’s yield, yet negatively affecting consumers’ health. Accordingly, assuring food safety and higher yield of choy sum are essential for sustainable economic growth and development in Cambodia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the quality and benefits of choy sum cultivation using good agricultural practice (GAP) over the organic farming systems in northern Cambodia; where growth rate, yield and economic efficiency of choy sum crop were assessed. Completely randomized design was employed on three treatments (non-treated control, organic method, and GAP), while classical statistical tests were used to examine the difference of quality and benefits between the treatments. As a result, cultivation technique-GAP method provided a better growth rate, yield, and economic profitability than other treatments. Thus, GAP method’s application is recommended for choy sum crop production and other potential green leafy crops. These findings provided more concrete evidence on financial benefits and quality of production of the GAP method on leafy plant growth (choy sum). Therefore, agricultural extension using GAP method would be a good technique to promote agricultural value chain, while improving food safety and livelihoods of Cambodian farmers.

Spatial Distribution and Isolation of Microbiota Associated with Spoilage of Tomatoes Sold in Selected Markets in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Tomato (Lycopersicum spp) is widely consumed universally because of its high nutritive value, but suffers great post-harvest losses due to microbial attack. This work was carried out to investigate the causative agents of tomato spoilage and the spatial distribution of such causative agents in some selected major markets in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Sixty tomato fruits from each of the four selected markets (total of 240 fruits) were investigated for the microorganisms responsible for tomato fruit spoilage. Eleven microorganisms, comprising of five bacterial species and six fungal species were isolated from the spoilt tomatoes. The bacterial isolates included Micrococcus varians, Lactobacillus fermenti, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp and Klebsiella sp. The isolated fungi included Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporium, Aspergillus flavus, Geotrichum candidum, Mucor mucedo, and Candida tropicalis. They were all positive for the pathogenicity test. The isolated organisms were heterogeneously distributed with remarkable levels of severity across the study area. The bacterial load ranged between 2.09 X 109 and 2.56 X 109, while the fungal load ranged between 2.72 X109 and 3.97 X 10 9. The occurrence and magnitude of the spoilage, and hence economic loss due to microbial attack could be attributable to the biologic, ecologic and environmental factors of the study area. Recommendations were, therefore, made for improved personal and environmental hygiene, good agricultural practice and proper treatment of tomato fruits before consumption to avert the imminent health consequences due to the spoilage microorganisms.

The Constrains Affecting Competitiveness of Emerging Household Citrus Farmers in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

This study looked at the constrains affecting competitiveness on emerging citrus household farmers using primary data collected from a convenience sample of 150 emerging farming households in Nelspruit and Onderberg citrus administration regions of Ehlanzeni District Municipality of South Africa. The results showed that tertiary education and farming models influenced farming households to produce good quality citrus fruit and access both export and local fruit markets. In addition, study results indicated that other household socioeconomic constraints such as gender, age, training, business plan, water, input costs, barriers to engaging in farming on a commercial level, food safety, and good agricultural practice standards, and lack of title deed had a negative influence on the competitiveness of emerging household farmers in the study area. Policies that encourage a regular visit to farmers to follow up on the compliance of food safety and good agricultural practice standards by CGA advisors and agricultural extensionists are recommended for increased compliance.

PEMBERDAYAAN PETANI JERUK MELALUI BADAN USAHA MILIK DESA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PENDAPATAN MASYARAKAT (Desa Sumbersekar, Kecamatan Dau, Kabupaten Malang)

Sebagai penopang pendapatan asli desa sumbersekar, untuk meningkatkan asli pendapatan desa sumbersekar Dau Malang, maka tuntutan kedepan adalah membayar pajak desa sesuai dengan ketentuan. Untuk itu sebagai masyarakat petani umumnya Desa Sumbersekar memiliki potensi antara lain, padi, jagung, singkong, dan Jeruk merupakan hal yang perlu ditingkatkan produksinya. Pelatihan Manajemen Badan Usaha Milik Desa (BUMDES) :Manajemen SDM dalam hal perencanaan, pengorganisasian, pemahaman dan pendefinisian terhadap kerja sehingga masing-masing divisi memahami tugas dan fungsinya serta dapat meningkatkan kinerja dari divisi. Selain itu, dalam hal perencanaan program kerja perlu diberikan pembinaan tentang pembuatan program kerja yang terjadwal sehingga program kerja menjadi lebih terarah dan dapat meningkatkan kinerja daripada Badan usaha Milik Desa. Manajemen keuangan, dalam hal pembukuan atau pencatatan transaksi keuangan sehingga mereka dapat mengetahui berapa besarnya pemasukan dan pengeluaran setiap musimnya, dengan pembuatan jurnal sederhana untuk mencatat setiap transaksi keuangan, maka dapat membentuk arus kas serta melakukan analisis terhadap arus kas untuk setiap musimnya, sehingga dapat menjadi pedoman atau acuan bagi usaha masyarakat dan petani jeruk dalam hal perencanaan keuangan sehingga hutang atau pinjaman yang tidak terduga dapat diminimalisir. Pelatihan Model Pemberdayaan Petani Jeruk, Cara Pemupukan, dan Panen, serta penyimpanan yang baik dan benar. Pelatihan teknologi budidaya tanaman Jeruk sesuai dengan standart good agricultural practice (GAP). Untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan kuantitas bahan baku yang dipakai sebagai sari jeruk. Pelatihan pemanfaatan teknologi tepat guna. Kedepan BUMDES pada tanaman Jeruk akan mampu memasarkan dan menjual produk mereka tanpa dibatasi oleh waktu dan tempat, sehingga akan mempercepat perkembangan usaha dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan usaha masyarakat petani jeruk .

PEMBERDAYAAN PETANI JERUK MELALUI BADAN USAHA MILIK DESA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PENDAPATAN MASYARAKAT (Desa Sumbersekar, Kecamatan Dau, Kabupaten Malang)

Sebagai penopang pendapatan asli desa sumbersekar, untuk meningkatkan asli pendapatan desa sumbersekar Dau Malang, maka tuntutan kedepan adalah membayar pajak desa sesuai dengan ketentuan. Untuk itu sebagai masyarakat petani umumnya Desa Sumbersekar memiliki potensi antara lain, padi, jagung, singkong, dan Jeruk merupakan hal yang perlu ditingkatkan produksinya. Pelatihan Manajemen Badan Usaha Milik Desa (BUMDES) :Manajemen SDM dalam hal perencanaan, pengorganisasian, pemahaman dan pendefinisian terhadap kerja sehingga masing-masing divisi memahami tugas dan fungsinya serta dapat meningkatkan kinerja dari divisi. Selain itu, dalam hal perencanaan program kerja perlu diberikan pembinaan tentang pembuatan program kerja yang terjadwal sehingga program kerja menjadi lebih terarah dan dapat meningkatkan kinerja daripada Badan usaha Milik Desa. Manajemen keuangan, dalam hal pembukuan atau pencatatan transaksi keuangan sehingga mereka dapat mengetahui berapa besarnya pemasukan dan pengeluaran setiap musimnya, dengan pembuatan jurnal sederhana untuk mencatat setiap transaksi keuangan, maka dapat membentuk arus kas serta melakukan analisis terhadap arus kas untuk setiap musimnya, sehingga dapat menjadi pedoman atau acuan bagi usaha masyarakat dan petani jeruk dalam hal perencanaan keuangan sehingga hutang atau pinjaman yang tidak terduga dapat diminimalisir. Pelatihan Model Pemberdayaan Petani Jeruk, Cara Pemupukan, dan Panen, serta penyimpanan yang baik dan benar. Pelatihan teknologi budidaya tanaman Jeruk sesuai dengan standart good agricultural practice (GAP). Untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan kuantitas bahan baku yang dipakai sebagai sari jeruk. Pelatihan pemanfaatan teknologi tepat guna. Kedepan BUMDES pada tanaman Jeruk akan mampu memasarkan dan menjual produk mereka tanpa dibatasi oleh waktu dan tempat, sehingga akan mempercepat perkembangan usaha dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan usaha masyarakat petani jeruk .

VARIABILITAS MORFOLOGI Rhizoctonia solani PENYEBAB PENYAKIT HAWAR PELEPAH PADI DI SULAWESI SELATAN

Rhizoctonia solani merupakan salah satu patogen penting penyebab penyakit hawar pelepah pada padi yang dapat hidup di tanaman maupun di tanah. Patogen ini menyebabkan penurunan kualitas dan kuantitas hasil panen padi. Variabilitas R. solani yang tinggi menyulitkan identifikasi dan pengendaliannya. Oleh karena itu patogen ini menjadi penting untuk dikaji. Tiga belas isolat R. solani berhasil diisolasi dari enam kabupaten di Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan dengan tujuan mempelajari variabilitas patogen berdasarkan karakter morfologinya. Hasil analisis klaster berdasakan morfologi menunjukkan variabilitas dengan kisaran koefisien similaritas 0,47-1,00. Semakin tinggi koefisien similaritas, semakin banyak klaster yang dapat terbentuk. Berdasarkan klasterisasi morfologinya, , ketiga belas isolat terkelompok menjadi dua kelompok utama. Isolat dari Kabupaten Maros tergabung dalam satu kelompok; isolat dari Kabupaten Pangkep, Barru, Pare-pare, Sidrap dan Soppeng tergabung dalam kelompok lainnya. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi dasar ilmiah dalam langkah-langkah teknis implementasi Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) di Sulawesi Selatan.