Contributions of Central Research Institute for Agriculture

Integrated morphological and molecular characterization of Ganoderma boninense associated with basal stem rot in oil palm

Gratia Kanisius Gulo — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Basal stem rot (BSR), primarily caused by Ganoderma boninense, remains the most destructive disease affecting oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia. Accurate pathogen identification is essential for effective disease management. This study aimed to conduct an integrated morphological and molecular characterization of Ganoderma isolates collected from symptomatic oil palm trees at the Adolina Seed Center, North Sumatra. Fruiting bodies were isolated and subjected to macroscopic, microscopic, and ITS-based molecular analyses. Seven fungal isolates were successfully obtained, of which five were identified as Ganoderma boninense and two as Ganoderma sp. BLAST analysis revealed 99.2–99.8% sequence similarity with reference isolates from Malaysia and Singapore. Phylogenetic reconstruction formed two major clusters supported by bootstrap values of 98% and 76%, indicating strong to moderate statistical confidence. These findings confirm the predominance of G. boninense in the study area and provide baseline molecular data to support local disease management strategies.

Effect of plant spacing and NPK 16:16:16 fertilization on vegetative growth of Bonanza F1 Sweet Corn at UPMI Agricultural Field

Bobi Indra Telaumbanua, Roswita Oesman , Miyarnis Miyarnis — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of plant spacing and NPK 16:16:16 fertilization on the vegetative growth of Bonanza F1 sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata L.) at the UPMI Agricultural Experimental Field. The experiment was conducted from June to August 2025 using a factorial Randomized Block Design with two treatment factors. The first factor consisted of four plant spacing treatments, namely 40 × 40 cm, 50 × 50 cm, 60 × 60 cm, and 70 × 70 cm, while the second factor consisted of four NPK fertilizer rates, namely 0 g, 20 g, 30 g, and 40 g per plant. Growth parameters observed included plant height, number of leaves, and stem diameter. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance followed by the Least Significant Difference test at the 5% significance level. The results showed that plant spacing and NPK fertilization improved the vegetative growth of sweet corn. Wider spacing reduced interplant competition for sunlight, water, and nutrients, while NPK fertilizer increased nutrient availability required for plant growth. The best treatment combination was obtained from 70 × 70 cm spacing and 40 g NPK per plant (J4P3), which produced the highest plant height (95.50 cm), leaf number (10 leaves), and stem diameter (2.03 cm). The interaction between spacing and fertilizer treatments was generally not significant, although the combined treatment consistently showed better growth performance. Therefore, appropriate spacing and balanced fertilization are recommended to support optimal vegetative growth of Bonanza F1 sweet corn under similar cultivation conditions.

Systematic literature review: the impact of the supermicro and micro people's business credit program on oil palm farmers in Indonesia

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Indonesia is the largest agricultural country and makes agriculture the strongest economic support sector, with one of the best agricultural sectors being palm oil plantations. The government’s concern for agriculture in Indonesia is reflected in the distribution of People's Business Credit (KUR), one of the government programs during the time of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on November 5, 2007. This study aims to assess the extent to which People's Business Credit, one of the government program credits, helps the economic growth of farmers in Indonesia. In this study, data were collected from Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases using keywords related to KUR and oil palm farmers for the 2016–2026 period, yielding 200 articles. After a selection process based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were identified that met the requirements for analysis. The findings indicate that KUR contributes positively to improving farmers’ income, productivity, access to agricultural inputs, and financing for oil palm replanting programs. In addition, KUR helps reduce farmers’ dependence on informal lenders by providing more affordable financing alternatives. Nevertheless, several challenges remain, including land legality issues, administrative complexity, collateral requirements, weak farmer institutions, and unequal access between plasma and independent farmers. The review concludes that although KUR has substantial potential to strengthen sustainable smallholder oil palm development in Indonesia, its effectiveness depends on institutional strengthening, improved financial inclusion, accelerated land certification, and more adaptive financing policies aligned with the long-term characteristics of oil palm farming.

Effect of application of various types of controlled release fertilizers on vegetative growth of immature oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) during the unyielding cropphase

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a strategic plantation commodity that requires optimal fertilization management since the Unyielding Crops phase. Conventional fertilizers are considered less efficient due to high nutrient losses through leaching and volatilization in wet tropical environments. This study aims to evaluate the influence of various types of controlled release fertilizers on the vegetative growth of unyielding crop oil palm in PT. Panca Surya Garden during the period 2013–2015. The experiment was designed using a Group Random Design (RAK) with four treatments and three replicates, namely ordinary NPK fertilizer (F0), Agroblen fertilizer (F1), Haracoat fertilizer (F2), and a combination of NPK with Agrinos biological fertilizer (F3). The parameters observed included the width and thickness of the petiole, the length of the fronds, the number of leaf strands, the height of the tree, and the length and width of the leaflets. The results showed that the F2 treatment (Haracoat) consistently gave the highest score on almost all parameters from the first to the third observation, with petiole width values reaching 2.14 cm (observation 1), 2.45 cm (observation 2), and 2.45 cm (observation 3), significantly different from other treatments based on DNMRT test at 5% significance level (p<0.05). In the fifth observation, the response between treatments tends to converge, indicating a weakening of the influence of fertilizer types as the plant ages. It is concluded that Haracoat fertilizer is the most effective choice to support optimal vegetative growth of oil palm in the unyielding crop phase, with superiority across parameters of petiole width, petiole thickness, frond length, number of leaf strands, and frond production compared to conventional NPK fertilizer, Agroblen, and the combination of NPK with Agrinos biological fertilizer.

Quality analysis of crude palm oil based on ffa, moisture, and impurity parameters in a 60 t/h palm oil mill

Maria Magdalena Sinaga, Chintia Agrefina Brilian, Warastra Nur Annisa — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

CPO is the main product of the palm oil industry, in the form of crude oil, and serves as a raw material for various food and non-food products. The quality of CPO is affected by several key factors, including free fatty acid (FFA) levels, moisture content, and impurity levels, which directly influence the product's stability, shelf life, and market value. This study employed a quantitative-descriptive approach to evaluate the quality of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) produced from the processing of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) at Company XYZ in Nunukan Regency, Indonesia. Data collection was conducted from January to June 2025.The analytical focus was on three main quality parameters: free fatty acids (FFA), moisture content, and impurity levels. To support the analysis, bar charts and a fishbone diagram were used as tools to identify and illustrate the causal factors that have the potential to affect CPO quality. The evaluation results showed variations in quality, affected by processing factors, the quality of fresh fruit bunches, and storage conditions. Although CPO quality standards have been established, many production mills still experience quality instability due to differences in harvesting practices, post-harvest handling, and processing conditions. The research showed that FFA values ranged from 4.21% to 5.07%. Moisture content ranged from 0.29% to 0.33%. Meanwhile, impurity levels ranged from 0.029% to 0.039%. Therefore, this study recommends strengthening supervision, improving operator training, enhancing equipment maintenance, and enforcing SOP implementation to improve and maintain the consistency of CPO quality.

Effects of pineapple peel liquid organic fertilizer and quail manure on the growth and yield of Peanut Plants (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Aisyah Lubis, Iwan Hasrizart, Gali Rakasiwi — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) are important food legumes whose productivity is strongly influenced by soil fertility, nutrient availability, and the balance between vegetative and generative growth. This study evaluated the effects of pineapple peel liquid organic fertilizer (POC) and quail manure on peanut growth and yield. The experiment was conducted at the Al Azhar University Experimental Farm, Medan, from April to August 2025 using a factorial randomized block design with two factors: pineapple peel POC at 0, 35 and 70 ml L-1 and quail manure at 0, 1, 2, and 3 kg plot-1, with three replications. Observed parameters included plant height, stem diameter, number of pods per plant, and 100-seed weight. Analysis of variance followed by Duncan's Multiple Range Test showed that pineapple peel POC and quail manure significantly increased plant height and 100-seed weight, but did not significantly affect stem diameter or the number of pods per plant. No significant interaction was detected for any parameter. The highest plant height was recorded at N2 (58.31 cm) and P3 (59.28 cm), while the highest 100-seed weight was recorded at N2 (70.50 g) and P2 (68.22 g). These findings indicate that pineapple peel POC and quail manure can improve peanut performance mainly by supporting vegetative growth and seed filling, although their effects were independent rather than synergistic.

Genetic variability of Red Chili Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in the M2 generation resulting from gamma-ray irradiation

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Red chili peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are a horticultural commodity of high economic value, but increasing their productivity still requires the support of high-yielding varieties with adequate genetic diversity. This study analyzed phenotypic and genotypic variability, broad-sense heritability, the Coefficient of Genetic Variation (CGV), and the expected response to selection in the M2 generation of the local red chili cultivar 'Putih' derived from gamma-ray irradiation. The study was conducted in Tanjung Sari Village, Medan Selayang District, Medan City, from February to June 2025. The planting material consisted of a 0 Gy control population and M2 populations irradiated at 100 Gy and 200 Gy. Observations were made on 30 sample plants from each population. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, tests of mean differences relative to the control, phenotypic variance, genotypic variance, heritability, and CGV. The results showed that the 100 Gy population exhibited wide phenotypic and genetic variability in dichotomous height, plant height, fruit length, and number of fruits per plant. The 200 Gy population exhibited extensive genetic variability only in the number of fruits per plant. High heritability was found in dicot height, flowering time, leaf length, and fruit length in the 100 Gy population, as well as in flowering time and leaf length in the 200 Gy population. High CGV was found in fruit length in both irradiated populations. Based on the combination of genetic variability, heritability, and CGV, the traits of fruit length and dichotomous height in the 100 Gy population have the potential to serve as initial selection criteria for the next generation.

Optimizing automatic irrigation volume and duration for pre-nursery oil palm seedlings (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Eka Bobby Febrianto, Ahmad Habibi Rambe, Ingrid Ovie Yosephine, Gali Rakasiwi — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Manual irrigation in oil palm pre-nurseries often results in uneven water distribution and inconsistent water volume, which may constrain early seedling growth. This study evaluated the effects of automatic irrigation volume and duration on the vegetative growth of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) seedlings in a pre-nursery system. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Indonesian Oil Palm Technology Institute (ITSI), Medan, from February to May 2025. A factorial completely randomized design was used, consisting of three irrigation volumes (200, 400, and 600 mL per plant per day) and three irrigation durations (20, 30, and 40 min per day), with four replications. A total of 72 D × P Simalungun seedlings were observed for plant height, stem diameter, root length, wet root weight, wet crown weight, dry root weight, and dry crown weight. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at the 5% level. The results showed that irrigation volume significantly affected shoot dry weight, with 600 mL per plant per day producing the highest mean value. Irrigation duration significantly affected plant height at 8 weeks after planting, as well as root fresh weight, root dry weight, and shoot dry weight at 12 weeks after planting. The 30 min per day duration consistently produced the highest values for plant height (15.16 cm), root fresh weight (1.32 g), dry weight of roots (0.42 g), and Dry Crown Weight (0.89 g). No significant interaction was found between irrigation volume and duration for all observed variables. These findings indicate that irrigation duration is a key factor in automatic irrigation management, and 30 min per day may support more balanced early growth of oil palm seedlings under greenhouse pre-nursery conditions.

Peningkatan kapasitas masyarakat melalui pelatihan pembuatan pupuk organik di Kampung Seed Agung, Distrik Muting Merauke

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Kegiatan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PKM) di Kampung Seed Agung, Kecamatan Muting, Kabupaten Merauke, Papua Selatan, dilaksanakan sebagai upaya mendukung pengembangan komoditas kopi melalui penerapan teknologi pemupukan yang ramah lingkungan. Program ini bertujuan meningkatkan kapasitas dan kemandirian petani dalam memproduksi pupuk organik padat berbahan dasar limbah pertanian guna mengurangi ketergantungan terhadap pupuk kimia serta menjaga kesuburan tanah secara berkelanjutan. Kegiatan diawali dengan sosialisasi dan demonstrasi pembuatan pupuk organik padat yang diikuti oleh 20 orang petani kopi, dengan hasil menunjukkan peningkatan pengetahuan peserta mencapai 70% dalam mengolah limbah pertanian menjadi pupuk yang bernilai guna dan ekonomis. Penerapan pupuk organik padat diharapkan mampu meningkatkan produktivitas kopi, mengurangi biaya produksi, serta mendukng pertanian berkelanjutan yang ramah lingkungan di Kampung Seed Agung.