Salah satu upaya penerapan pertanian organik yaitu dengan menggunakan pestisida nabati. Pupuk organik cair sirih hutan (Piper betle L.) merupakan salah satu pupuk nabati yang dikaji dalam proses perlindungan tanaman ubi jalar (Ipomoea batatas L.), terhadap hama ubi jalar. Ubi jalar merupakan tanaman pangan lokal papua yang dikonsumsi sebagai penganti nasi, sehingga perlu untuk dilakukan perlindungan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis  pemanfaatan sirih hutan, (Piper betle L.) sebagai bahan ekstrak pestisida nabati organik cair pada tanaman ubi jalar. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Kampung Petrus Kafiar, Distrik Manokwari Barat. Metode penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok dengan perlakuan, P0, E1 (kontrol, tanpa perlakuan), P1, E2 (ekstrak sirih: tembakau, 1:1), P2, E3 (ekstrak sirih : tembakau, 2:1), P3. E4 (Ekstrak sirih : tembakau, 3:1), yang masing-masing perlakuan dilakukan ulangan semprotan 3 kali sehari pada tanaman ubi jalar. Untuk mengetahui intensitas serangan hama dilakukan analisis terhadap jumlah daun ubi jalar yang rusak. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pestisida ekstrak sirih hutan dan tembakau berpengaruh signifikan terhadap intensitas serangan hama baik pada 17 HST, 24 HST, 31 HST, 38 HST, 45 HST, 52 HST dan 59 HST. Hasil terbaik pada perbandingan ekstrak sirih hutan dan tembakau 1 : 1 yang ditunjukkan dengan jumlah daun ubi jalar yang rusak paling sedikit.

Water plays the important roles for plants. Besides maintaining the cell turgidity, it also functions as a nutrients solvent for photosythesis process, which affects plant growth. This study aimed to determine the effects of the source and volume of irrigation water with drip irrigation system on the growth of pepper plants in polybags. This research was conducted at the green house of Polbangtan Manokwari, Anday, West Papua from June to October 2020. This research was arranged in a factorial Completely Randomized Design consisting of two treatment factors, namely irrigation water source (PDAM water and ground water) and volume (150 mL per plant, 200 mL per plant, and 250 mL per plant). The results showed that PDAM water showed a better effect than groundwater, while the volume of irrigation water applied to pepper plants had no significant effect on plant height, number of leaves, and stem diameter. This situation is thought to be due to genetic factors from the pepper cultivars grown. PDAM water has a better effect because of its high pH and higher content of Nitrite as N content. Also, it has lower temperature, lower TDS, and lower iron contents. Meanwhile, irrigation water volume of 250 mL per plant per day has a minimal risk of plant drought compared to other treatments.

Hydro-precooling is known as one of the methods to preserve quality during the storage period of agricultural products. Punctuality of the application and temperature of precooling water has a pronounced effect of the respiration rate of agricultural products. This research was intended to study the effect of application times and temperatures of the hydro-precooling process on the respiration rate of cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Bird’s Eye’) during the storage period. Three different application times, just at harvesting, 12, and 24 hours after harvesting, and three water temperatures of 5°C, 10°C, and 15°C were studied in a completely randomized design with three replications. Chili samples were hydro-precooled by immersion method then loaded in the respirometer and stored in cold storage at the same temperature as precooled water temperatures. Oxygen and carbon dioxide changes were monitored using O2 and CO2 Gas Analyzer (Quantek 902D) every day for 21 days of storage period. It was found that storage time, precooling application time, water temperature, and their interaction significantly influenced the respiration rate of the samples. However, the respiratory quotient was only influenced by storage time and precooled product temperature (p<0.05). The treatment combination of precooling application just at harvesting and precooling temperature of 10°C resulted in the lowest respiration rate.