No abstract

Small farmers typically produce shallot with a high frequency of pesticide application and its habit poses several ecological and environmental consequences. In this research, we evaluated the effect of pesticide application in different frequency (high, moderate and low) on shallot stomatal number and opening in Palu Valley, Central Sulawesi. By comparing in the low application, the moderate frequency with less than ten applications increased stomatal number about 1.9% and high rate with more than ten applications per two months of shallot plantation period augmented about 18.7%. While the length of stomatal opening increased about 18.2% with moderate and decreased about 32.6% with the high rate of application. Then, the width of the stomatal opening decreased about 0.6% and 17.5%, respectively. This data indicated that the application of pesticide, especially in high - frequency increase stomatal number and decrease stomatal opening area with potential for inhibiting shallot growth.

Many taros (Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum) grow in Sulawesi due to their large scale acceptability and high return per unit area, but their productivity is still low. In this study, fungi producing indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) were selected and characterized from the taro rhizosphere with the aim that it can be applied in stimulating the growth and production of this plant. By analyzing the content of IAA in the medium of fungi isolated, 12 fungal isolates were found producing this compound. The highest level of IAA is provided by isolate ETR 33 (8.89 ppm), ETR 29 (8.21 ppm), and ETR 5 (7.82 ppm). These isolates were identified as Fusarium, Trichoderma, and Aspergillus, respectively. These data that three strains of fungi were identified and characterized as the producer of IAA and potentially be used to develop a bio-fertilizer to increase the productivity of taro.

Agriculture waste and pathogen cell wall of plant contain a lot of cellulose which are very difficult to degrade. One of the ways to hydrolyse them is through utilizing cellulase, an enzyme produced from secondary metabolite of cellulolytic fungi. This research was aimed at isolating fungi from rhizosphere of safira taro plant and testing the isolate capability to produce cellulase enzyme to be able to act as decomposer and biocontrol of the plant. The research methods are isolating rhizosphere fungi, testing isolate capability in producing cellulase enzyme and identifying potential isolate producing cellulolytic fungi. It obtained 10 fungi isolates, 4 were negative and 6 positive in producing cellulase enzyme with cellulolytic index 1.16 – 1.66. The highest index was RTB14 isolate which belongs to Aspergillus flavus.

This study aims to determine microorganisms in organically managed land. The study was conducted in the organic land and non-organic farmer’s land in Makassar and continued at the Disease Sciences laboratory, Department of Pests and Plant Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin. The stages of the study consisted of soil sampling and 10 grams were taken to be diluted into 90 ml of sterile water, then a 10-3 dilution was carried out. The results of the dilution are taken 1ml each and then poured into the PDA media. The fungus that grows is purified on PDA media while bacteria on NA media, then identified. The results showed that in organic vegetable fields more fungi isolates were found (6 isolates): Gliocladium sp, Rhizoctonia sp, Aspergillus sp and two other isolates were unknown and gram-positive bacteria were found while non-organic was found five fungus isolates, Scopulariopsis sp., Verticillium sp., Fusarium sp., Gliocladium sp, Percentage of inhibition of fungi from organic vegetable fields ranged from 33.3 to 100% while non-organic lands 16.7 to 66.7%.