Expanding rice planting areas is one of Government’s strategy that could overcome increasing rice demand nationally. However the more rice planting areas the more chemical fertilizer used, which has a deleterious side effect on the soil, environment and high in cost production. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a less or without chemical fertilizer rice production system through applying biofertilizer and combining with a proper cultivation technology such as management on plant spacing. An experiment was conducted at Pusakanagara Research Station, Indonesia during August to December 2018 to evaluate the effect of form and dosage of biofertilizer application at different plant spacing toward the growth and yield response of lowland rice. The experiment was arranged in split-split-plot design with three replications. The main plot was plant spacing, i.e T1 – Jajar Legowo pattern 2:1 (25 cm - 50 cm) x 12,5 cm and T2 – Jajar Legowo Pattern 4:1 (25 cm - 50 cm) x 12,5 cm. The sub-plot was form of biofertilizer, i.e W1 – powder and W2 – granule, while the sub-sub-plot was dosage of biofertilizer, i.e P0 – without biofertilizer (control), P1 – 150 g/ha, P2 – 250 g/ha, and P3 – 300 g/ha. The result showed The interaction between plant spacing (T) x form of biofertilizer (W) x dosage of biofertilizer (P) affected significant on tiller number and panicle length and not significantly at the yield and yield components of lowland rice soil. The highest yield at control with the powder form at Jajar Legowo pattern 2:1 was 8.7 t/ha miled dry grain, but not significantly different from other biofertilizer dosage level. Applying biofertilizer at a rate of 150 g/ha in the form of powder at Jajar Legowo pattern 2:1 could increase grain yield up to 2.5 t/ha more than Jajar Legowo pattern 4:1.

The effectiveness of heavy metal-tolerant microorganisms for supporting plant growth needs to be understood before it can be used as a soil bioremediation agent. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of heavy metal tolerant microorganisms on the growth of “Narra” seedling (Pterocarpus indicus Wild). Three heavy metals-resistant (Pb, Cd, and Cu) rhizobacteria from a copper (Cu) mined-out site in Marinduque, Philippines showed plant growth promotion in vitro. A treatment combination of formula inoculant A (CuNFbM 4.1, MGR 333), B (CuNFbM 4.1, MGR 333, PbSM 2.1), and O (Uninoculated); compost (0%, 4%); and lime + inorganic fertilizer {without or with lime and inorganic fertilizer (LF0; LF1)} were applied to Narra seedlings planted on 445 mg/kg Cu-contaminated soil. Lime (2 mg/ha) and the recommended dose of soybean inorganic fertilizer were used as positive controls to evaluate the ability of inoculations and composts to promote the growth and used as positive controls to evaluate the ability of inoculants and composts to promote the growth and copper accumulation of narra in greenhouse experiments. All treatment combinations resulted in significant differences in plant height, leaf number, stem diameter, shoot and root dry weight, as well as, shoot, root Cu content, and plant Cu uptake of 13-week-old “Narra”. Inoculated “Narra” could thrive better in mine-degraded soil containing 445 ppm Cu with 4% compost. Inoculant B demonstrated the best plant performance while Pseudomonas synxantha (PbSM 2.1) probably increases the plant’s growth due to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase it produces. Accumulation of Cu was higher in the root compared other plant parts. More research is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of plant growth promotion and heavy metal re mediation by P. synxantha.

This paper explores the opportunities for the development of sorghum to reduce imports of corn. Besides being the primary raw material for poultry feed, corn is the second staple-food ingredient after rice. Still, the increase in corn production is not in line with the demand for corn due to the increasing population. This condition has resulted in the need for corn to be imported, while the government has imposed an import ban since 2017. It is necessary to have other commodities that can substitute corn as food as sorghum. Sorghum farming produces not only sorghum seeds but also plant waste which can use for a ruminant feed so that the availability of ruminant feed continues. Sorghum farming needs to be developed so that the availability of food and feed can sustain. The development of sorghum should be in areas where there is a feed industry to ensure the sorghum market for farmers and the availability of raw materials. The development can also be in areas that have long consumed sorghum (local food).

Combinations of fertilizer application and plant spacing are expected to increase grain yields and plant growth of special quality rice varieties on irrigated lowland rice field. The research was aimed to observe the effects of fertilizer application and plant spacing on the special rice varieties. The trial was conducted in a farmer's field, at Mekarwangi Village, Ciranjang District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, during the dry season of April-September, 2016. The treatments were arranged in a split-split plot design with three replications. The main plot, was two inorganic fertilizer application (present local recomendation 45 kg N/ha, Phonska and organic fertilizer versus SSNM 112,5 kg N/ha, and Phonska. As sub plot was planting methods legowo 2:1 (27-54) cm x 13.5 cm and legowo 4:1 (27-54) cm x 13,5 cm]. As sub-sub plot There were four special quality rice varieties namely Cisokan, Inpari 21, IR 42, Lusi and Tayke. The smallest plot size was 4 m x 5 m, with the total number of 60 plots. The results showed that combination application of present local recommendation fertilizer and jajar legowo 4:1 planted with IR 42 gave higher yield (9.80 ton/ha dry grain) than Lusi. Legowo 4:1 with SSNM fertilizer application (9.33 ton/ha dry grains) and Cisokan planted on legowo 4:1 with application of present local fertilizer recommendation (9.24 t/ha dry grains). The special quality rice varieties (Cisokan, Inpari 21, IR 42 and Lusi) planted on legowo 2:1 and legowo 4:1 produced siginificantly higher yields than the Tayken. The effect of jajar legowo 4:1 plant spacing resulted in higher yield (8,50 t/ha dry grain) than that of legowo 2:1 (8,03 t/ha dry grain).

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