Salah satu faktor rendahnya produktivitas padi di Provinsi Sumatera Barat adalah masih kurangnya penggunaan benih yang berkualitas. Di samping itu, varietas padi yang digunakan pada saat ini memiliki resistensi yang rendah terhadap hama dan penyakit, khususnya hama wereng yang dewasa ini sering menyerang padi di Sumatera Barat. Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional (BATAN) merupakan salah satu institusi yang menghasilkan varietas padi baru melalui teknologi mutasi, salah satu varietas yang dihasilkan adalah varietas Kahayan. Varietas Kahayan memiliki beberapa keunggulan dibandingkan varietas sebelumnya, yaitu berumur genjah, produktivitas tinggi, serta memiliki resistensi terhadap beberapa hama dan penyakit tanaman tertentu. Tujuan kegiatan ini adalah melakukan diseminasi penangkaran benih padi varietas Kahayan kepada kelompok tani penangkar agar mereka dapat memenuhi kebutuhan benih padinya secara mandiri. Kegiatan dilaksanakan pada Kelompok Tani Air Sarasah di Nagari Sungai Batang, Kecamatan Tanjung Raya, Kabupaten Agam pada November 2019 hingga Maret 2020. Kegiatan terdiri atas sosialisasi kegiatan penangkaran, pelaksanaan penangkaran padi varietas Kahayan, dan pendampingan penangkaran padi varietas Kahayan. Dari kegiatan ini kelompok tani mampu telah melakukan penangkaran padi dengan lebih baik, sesuai dengan standar operasional penangkaran benih yang telah ditetapkan oleh Kementerian Pertanian Republik Indonesia. Di samping itu, kelompok tani juga telah mampu meningkatkan pengetahuan mereka dalam melakukan sertifikasi benih padi. Dari hasil penangkaran diperoleh hasil benih padi Kahayan kelas Benih Dasar (BD) sebanyak 6,1 ton/hektar yang melebihi hasil rata-rata padi nasional, yaitu pada tahun 2018 sebanyak 5,2 ton/hektar.

This research is an advanced stage of exploration and characterization of job tears plants in West Sumatera Province. This study aimed to evaluate the nutrition content of six local job tears accessions of West Sumatra. The experiment used a completely randomized design (6 treatments and 4 replications) and was conducted from June until September 2022. The material was the seed from six accessions local job’s tears of West Sumatera, namely PTA- 1, KKD-3, PH-4, BTA-2, GT-2, and TJR-2. The data was analyzed using the F-test at 5%, and if there were significant differences, it was continued by analyzing DNMRT at 5%. Nutrition tests on ash and water content using the Gravimetric method, protein content using the Khjedal method, fat content using the Soxhlet method, and carbohydrate content using the by-difference method. The results showed that the PTA-1 accession had the highest percent ash content and the BTA-2 accession had the highest water content. The PTA-1, PH-4, BTA-2, GT-2, and TJR-2 accessions contained the best percentage of protein levels. In contrast, the PTA-1, KKD-3, PH-4, GT-2, and TJR-2 accessions have the highest rate of fat content, and the highest percentage of carbohydrate levels was found in the KKD-3 accession.

Bunga matahari termasuk salah satu jenis komoditi pertanian yang mempunyai potensi besar untuk dikembangkan. Hal ini bukan tanpa alasan karena setiap bagian dari bunga matahari dapat digunakan untuk makanan, pakan ternak, bahan baku industri, kecantikan dan obat-obatan. Saat ini pengembangan bunga matahari telah bergeser ke penggunaan lahan marginal seperti lahan pesisir namun memiliki banyak permasalahan. Untuk itu perlu dilakukan berbagai inovasi dan penerapan teknologi. Salah satunya adalah penggunaan mikoriza dan kompos maggot. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui respon pertumbuhan bunga matahari di lahan pesisir pantai pada aplikasi beberapa dosis mikoriza dan kompos maggot. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan rancangan acak kelompok secara faktorial dengan 4 taraf pada masing-masing perlakuan dan diulang sebanyak 3 kali. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa semakin tinggi dosis mikoriza dan dosis kompos maggot yang diberikan akan berbanding lurus terhadap pertumbuhan bunga matahari pada lahan pesisir pantai.

Indonesia has the potential to develop alternative food sources, one of the cereal crops that has the potential and prospects to be developed is job's tears (Coix lacrima-jobi L.). Efforts that can be made to increase job's tears production are variety selection, proper cultivation techniques, and favorable environmental conditions. Fertilization is one of the most important factors that need to be considered in plant cultivation techniques. This research was conducted in Padang city, West Sumatera. The research was factorial in the form of a complete random design. The job’s tears cultivars used in this riset were Pulut and Batu. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of NPK fertilizer on growth and yields of two job’s tears cultivars. NPK fertilizer dosage treatment in this study consisted of : 0 kg/hectare, 100 kg/hectare, 200 kg/hectare, and 300 kg/hectare. The results showed that there was no interaction between NPK fertilizer and two job’s tears cultivars. Pulut showed the highest mean values on growth variables (plant height, leaf length, and stem diameter), but Batu showed the highest mean values on yield variables (seed weight / plant). While the best dose of NPK fertilizer to increase growth and yield is 300 kg/hectare.

Utilizing idle land as agricultural land is one option that can be pursued to support national food security and independence. Indonesia has various types of alternative food commodities that have the potential to be developed on nutrient-poor land, one of which is hanjeli. Technical cultivation is needed to increase the growth and yield of hanjeli on sub-optimal land. This study aims to determine the best planting distance to increase hanjeli production on idle land. The research was conducted from October 2020 -March 2021 in Limau Manis, Padang City, West Sumatra. The materials used in this study were rice cultivar hanjeli seeds, manure (20 tons/ha) and NPK fertilizer (200 kg/ha). The experimental design used was Randomized Group Design with 3 groups and consisted of 8 plant spacing treatments (40 x 40 cm, 50 x 40 cm, 50 x 50, 50 x 60 cm, 50 x 70 cm, 50 x 80 cm, 50 x 90 cm, and 50 x 100 cm). Observation data were analyzed statistically to determine the influential treatment using the F test at the 5% level and significantly different data were tested using the Duncan's Multiple Range Test at the 5% level. It was concluded that the spacing of 50 x 70 cm, 50 x 80 cm, 50 x 90 cm and 50 x 100 cm gave the best effect on the number of total tillers/plant, the number of productive tillers/plant, the number of seeds/plant, the percentage of filled seeds, the weight of filled seeds/plant. As for productivity, the spacing of 50 x 80 cm gave the best results.