Piper caninum extract and Brevibacillus agri mixture suppresses rice leaf spot pathogen; Nigrospora oryzae and improves the production of red rice (Oryza sativa L)

Under the guise of enhancing productivity, using pesticides and artificial fertilizers in agriculture affects both the environment and living things. High chemical residues in food and the environment disrupt the health of consumers. One of the solutions that can bring about a reduction in the use of pesticides and chemicals is switching to organic fertilizers. The application of biopesticides originating from biological sources such as plant extracts and the use of microbes is gaining global acceptance. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain the best biopesticides and biostimulants that could suppress the leaf spot pathogen, Nigrospora oryzae, and increase the growth and yield of Bali red rice. The study contained four treatments, namely untreated control (F0), Piper caninum leaf extract (F1), Brevibacillus agri (F2), and fermented P. caninum leaf extract plus B. agri (F3). The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design, and each treatment was replicated three times. The parameters measured were the number of tillers per plant, number of leafs per plant, chlorophyll content, number of grains per panicle, grain weight, and grain yield. Furthermore, antimicrobial and antioxidants were assayed using SEM. GC-MS. At the end of the experiment, the disease index of the leaf spot was measured. The results showed that F3 significantly suppressed leaf spots caused by N. oryzae compared to other treatments, including untreated control in red rice. Additionally, the F3 significantly increased the number of productive tillers, number of grains per panicle, and grain yield compared to all other treatments. The F3 enhanced the crop yield at 6.19 tons/ha, an increase of 50% compared to the untreated control. The SEM.GC-MS results showed the presence of 2.3 butanediol, tetra-decanoic acid, butanoic acid, ethyl ester, benzene propanal, 3-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-a-methyl, a-N-Normethadol in treated plants with P. canicum plus B. agri.

Smallholder perceptions of land restoration activities: rewetting tropical peatland oil palm areas in Sumatra, Indonesia

The Indonesian government committed to restoring over 2 million ha of degraded peatland by the end of 2020, mainly to reduce peat fires and greenhouse gas emissions. Although it is unlikely the government will meet this target, restoration projects are still underway. One restoration strategy involves blocking peatland drainage canals, but the consequences of this for smallholder farmers whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture are unclear. This paper investigates perceived impacts of canal blocks on smallholder farmers and identifies factors that affect their willingness to accept canal blocks on their land. We use data from 181 household questionnaires collected in 2018 across three villages in Jambi province, Sumatra. We found that the majority of respondents would accept canal blocks on their farms, perceiving that the blocks would have no impact on yields or farm access, and would decrease fire risk. Respondents who would not accept blocks on their farms were more likely to use canals to access their farms and perceive that canal blocks would decrease yields. The majority of farmers unwilling to accept canal blocks did not change their mind when provided with an option of a block that would allow boat travel. Our results improve understanding of why some smallholders may be unwilling to engage with peatland restoration. Further research is needed to understand the impact of canal blocks on smallholders' yields. Engaging with stakeholders from the outset to understand farmers' concerns, and perceptions is key if the government is to succeed in meeting its peatland restoration target and to ensure that the costs and benefits of restoration are evenly shared between local stakeholders and other actors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10113-020-01737-z.