Wani Utomo

Brawijaya University · Faculty of Agriculture

Sugarcane cultivation in sandy soil is quite difficult because the sandy soil properties are less suitable for this crop. Soil amendment application might be important as a growth medium for sugarcane. This study aimed to improve the physical properties of sand-texture soil due to the residue of soil amendments application and their effect on first...

An abundance of sugarcane trash (ST) can be converted into soil amendment to improve soil quality. Pot research was carried out in Malang, East Java from October 2013 to October 2014. The research aimed to study changes in the properties of sand-textured soil due to the application of trash biochar and other sugarcane wastes, as well as its effect...

In order to improve food security, protect the soil from degradation and contribute to poverty alleviation, a research project was implemented by CIAT in close collaboration with several government and non-government agencies in Indonesia, and funded by ACIAR in Australia. The project was part of a larger project entitled "Enhancing the Adoption of...

Field experiments were carried out to examine the effect of increasing the crop yield on land degradation in cassava-based cropping systems. The experiment was also aimed at showing that with proper crop management, the planting of cassava does not result in land degradation, and therefore, a sustainable production system can be obtained. The exper...

An experiments aimed to explore the effects of mycorrhizae inoculation on the potential of local plant species (Paspalum conjugatum, Cyperus kyllingia, and Lindernia crustacea) for phytoextraction of mercury from small-scale gold mine tailings contaminating agricultural land has been conducted in a glasshouse. The first experiment was set up as thr...

An experiment was conducted to study the characteristics and stability of biochar enriched with ammonium sulfate and nitrate acid. Two feedstuffs of biochar (namely poultry litter and corn-cobs) were enriched with ammonium sulfate and nitrate acid. To investigate the release of nitrogen from the enriched biochar, a lysimeter study was carried out.....

A lot of studies have proven that biochar is a good soil amendment. With its high Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), it was hypothesized that biochar can be used as the carrier of nitrogen plant nutrient. A study was conducted to investigated the effect of nitrogen enriched biochar on the growth of rice (Oriza sativa L.). The experiment was carried ou...

A field experiment was done to study the residual effect of biochar application on the growth and yield of red chili (Capsicum annum L.). The experiment was done at at Wringinrejo Village, Blitar Regency of Indonesia. The biochar treatment was applied to cassava crops from 2009 until 2013. The subsequent soil then was used for chili planting in 201...

Background and Objective: Due to mismanagement, the red yellow podzolic of Bone sugarcane plantation has experienced degradation due to soil compaction. To overcome this problem an experiment was conducted to study the possibility of restoring this degraded red yellow podzolic by subsoiling and incorporation of boiler ash into the sub soil. The exp...

A study that was aimed to explore the effects of mycorrhizae inoculation on the potential of local tree species (Duabanga moluccana, Paraserianthes Erythrina orientalis) for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with small-scale gold mine tailings containing mercury was conducted in a glasshouse. Each of the plant seedlings was planted in a plasti...

A study that was aimed to explore the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation on the potential of wild plant species (Paspalum conjugatum, Cyperus kyllingia, and Lindernia crustacea) for phytoextraction of mercury from small-scale gold mine tailings was conducted in a glasshouse. Each of the plant seedlings was planted in a plastic...

The use of organic matter has been proposed as one of the option as liming material for acid soils in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biochar is a carbon (C) rich material that has been used as soil amendment to improve the properties of acidic soils. An incubation study followed by a glasshouse trial was conducted to study the changes in soil properti...

Three years of cassava + maize intercropping experiments were conducted to study the effect of planting cassava for forage production on cassava forage and root yields and on soil quality. The experiments were also designed to minimize the decrease of soil quality due to planting cassava for forage production. The experimental treatments include tw...

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are sources of serious problems in the environment due to their reactivity and toxicity. Lumbricus rubellus is an earthworm reared by people is expected to reduce Pb and Cd concentrations in the environments. The aim of this study was to explore the ability of Lumbricus rubellus in reducing excess of Pb and Cd in organic...

The decrease in productivity and degradation process in land cropped with cassava occurs very rapidly. A conventional soil conservation approach has been shown do not give satisfactory result. A new approach, which is termed “land husbandry”, seems to have a more prospective future. Different from soil conservation approach, which is aimed to contr...

The research was conducted to examine the characteristics of organic planting ribbon (OPR) made of banana sheath and its effect on rice growth planted with a direct seedling system. The experimental treatments consisted of two factors, i.e.: the material for ribbon decomposer (Urea and Ammonium Sulfate, AS), and the composition of ribbon material (...

A study was carried out with the objective of identify the indigenous plant species and its associated mycorrhiza for phytomycoremediation of mercury contaminated tailing at Sekotong, Lombok of Indonesia. The study consisted of field and laboratory studies. The field study was done to identify and collect samples of plant species grown in the minin...

Field experiment was carried out to study the effect of compost fortified with biochar on the growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.), and phosphorus absorption. The experiment was done on calcareous soil of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia with the treatment of 8 organic amendment application: (1) Farm Yard Manure (FYM) compost. (2) FYM compost + bio...

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of irrigation interval on the performance rice planted with Organic Planting Ribbon (OPR) as a growth medium in direct seeding system. The experiment also studied the water use efficiency of rice planted with OPR system. Theexperimental treatments consist of 2 factor, namely: (1) 3 growth me...

Field experiment was carried out to study the yield stability of cassava planted in cassava + peanuts intercropping systems after 3 years of biochar application was carried out from September 2009 to September 2012. The crops were treated with 5 organic amendment, i.e. (i) without organic amendment, (ii) farm yard manure (FYM) applied once at the f...

Three experiments were conducted to study the potential use of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) to remediate wastewater discharged from a tapioca factory. Two experiments studied the tolerance of vetiver to grow in wastewater, and the other studied the factors influencing the effectiveness of vetiver for the remediation of the wastewater. Vetiver...

Indonesian artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities (ASGM) have been described for the islands of Borneo (Kalimantan) and Sulawesi. But the increased gold price over recent years has seen operations extend to the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa. For the current research, an environmental assessment was conducted across three new ASGM location...

The potential use of yellow velvetleaf (Limnocharis flava (L.) Buch) for remediation of lead (Pb) polluted water was studied in Green house experiment. The study was also investigated the distribution of lead in plant tissue. Plants of equal size was grown hydroponically and exposed to 0, 1, 5, 10 mgL -1 of Pb concentration for 10 days, 20 days, an...

The potential of Chromolaena odorata to remove Hg and Pb from tailings from cyanidation processing of artisanal gold mining at Lombok, Indonesia was investigated in a glasshouse experiment. The tailings were amended with farmyard manure (FYM) and biochar added with 5 and 10 g kg-1 FeSO4 before growing C. odorata plants. Chromolaena odorata grew wel...

Field studies were conducted (2005 to 2009) in the degraded uplands (Entisols) of East Java, Indonesia to evolve a sustainable cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) production technology. Screening of crops and cropping systems for profitability was followed by standardization of soil management techniques to optimize productivity. The screening trial...

A field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of biochar application on soil fertility status, nutrient uptake, and maize yield in the sandy soils of semiarid Lombok, Indonesia during the rainy season of 2010-2011 and dry season of 2011. Three organic amendments (coconut shell biochar, CSB; cattle dung biochar, CDB; cattle manure, CM, and no...

A laboratory experiment was conducted to elucidate roles of Gliricidia sepium and Tithonia diversifolia composts and their extracted humic and fulvic acids on aluminum concentration in an Ultisol. Those composts and humic and fulvic acids extracted from them mixed with soil were arranged in a complete randomized design with three replicates, and in...

Artisanal mining plays an important role in the Indonesia economy; however, it has created serious environmentaldestruction. The prohibition of artisanal mining is not a wise policy and never works. A more valuable strategy isto encourage artisanal mining; however, the associated poor health, safety, and environmental conditions must beimproved. Th...

The experiments were carried out to study the characteristics of biochar made from rice husk and its potential as a soilamendment in acid soils. Biochar was produced by pyrolysis; after which it was applied as a soil amendment. The soilwas incubated for 30 days, and then it was planted with rice. For comparison, soil was applied with: rice straw, r...

Wetting and drying of remoulded soil resulted in water stable aggregation. The greatest proportions of water stable aggregates arose from wetting and drying in the −1 to −100 kPa range of matric water potential. The effect occurred with sterile and non-sterile soil. but the proportion of water stable aggregates was less with sterile soil. The appli...

Soil friability is defined and a method for its measurement is developed from the theory of brittle fracture of soil aggregates. The variation in friability with soil water content is in good agreement with the results of tillage experiments done by earlier workers. It is found that Urrbrae and Strathalbyn sandy loams are most friable at water cont...

Changes in the strength of remoulded agricultural top soil with ageing are studied for two sandy loam soils from South Australia and a clay soil from Queensland. There is evidence of significant thixotropic behaviour in these soils around the water contents at which tillage is usually performed. For the Urrbrae soil, in which the dominant clay mine...

Effects of weathering action, mainly wetting and drying cycles, on the strength of the clods produced by tillage are studied. Experiments were carried out on sandy loam soils at two sites in South Australia, and on silt loam and clay soils at Wye College, England.It is found that tillage increases the amplitude of soil water content fluctuations. T...

Field experiments were conducted over a 3-year period (1992–1995) in Sulawesi, East Java and the Philippines to investigate the response of post-rice (Oryza sativa L.) soil managements on growth and yield of legumes after lowland rice under rainfed conditions. Grain legume yields ranged from complete crop loss due to excessive rainfall after sowing...

Changes in soil physical properties due to traditional methods of puddling for lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) production and post-rice legumes was investigated in field experiments conducted on three sites in Indonesia and two in the Philippines over a 3-year period. Puddling treatments used in the field were, in increasing order of puddling intens...

Previous work is reviewed in which the ratio of the pressures required for soil penetration by roots and penetrometers are compared. It appears that this ratio can vary from about 2 to 8 depending on conditions. However, there is very little experimental evidence and most of the work has been inferential. Direct measurements are reported for the st...

Two soils of the red brown earth group were tilled in winter with a spring tine cultivator. Samples of the aggregates disturbed by the tillage were collected and stored at constant water content for various periods of time. Sub-samples were used to determine compression resistance and water stability of the aggregates. It was found that with increa...

In Indonesia, annual growth rates for cassava production and yield from 1961 to 2000 were 0.81% and 1.35%, respectively. However, the harvested area decreased at an average annual rate of 0.61%. The average yield of about 12 tonnes of fresh roots/ha is much below the potential yield of 20 to 40 t/ha obtained in experiments, indicating that cassava...

A Farmer Participatory Research (FPR) approach has been used in two pilot sites located in Malang and Blitar districts of East Java. The objective of the work, which was executed since l994, was to enchance the development and adoption of efficient cassava production technologies that are able to maintain soil productivity, reduce erosion, and incr...

This study was carried out to characterize the overburden materials and soil properties of artisanal mining at Sekotong, West Lombok, Indonesia to suggest an appropriate rehabilitation technology. The results of the study showed that the properties of overburden materials from Sekotong artisanal mining has a relative neutral acidity (pH about 6.4),...