Saturday, October 23, 2021

Push-Pull Tactic to Control Fall Armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda)

The amyworms (S.frugiperda) has been spreading in many country on the world. it is impact to agriculural production , and loss yield in mize, and rice. Farmers are confusing until now to control this pest, because actually this species is native from America. So, in foreign country still confused to control it by effective and efficient. 

Fotunately, many researchers have been developing to control this pest. In this blog, I would like sharing about one of tactic to control this pest. Yesterday, I have read a journal from Economic Entomology. You can visit to exlplore and deep study in there. 

This picture below illustrate how farmer control armyworms by culture technique. Using 3 variety of plants and there are three segement of cultivation in one field. I think this tactic is very important to implement in all country. Actually, this tactic has some weakness like amount of your main cultivation is low.  I think that's so normally when you using it. 

Illustrated by norman wijaya

There are 3 cultivation in this tactic. First, you use signal grass as border in your field. This plant has function to attract adult pest of armyworms. As well as we know the adult of this pest is moth. Second of cultivation is Green leaf. It has opposite function with signal grass. green leaf has function to againts laying of egg. So, The production of mize can increase exponentially without distrubed by armyworms.

So calm, and stay happy. I will share a link to see this interesting journal. Dont worry, this journal is open access to everyone. In addition, this journal has many of tactic to control this pest like using natural enemies or GMO seeds (BT). 

"Managing Fall Armyworm in Africa: Can Bt Maize Sustainably Improve Control?"

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Tritrophic Interaction

 Tritropic interaction is an interaction that includes three organisms. First, the plant or producer of food resources is the main of interaction. The second is a consumer of producers. The consumer is mainly herbivores that disruption in other organisms, especially on plants. The last are natural enemies. Commonly, the natural enemies always come when the plants that attacked by some herbivores. Actually in this interaction have two types of natural enemies (Parasitoid and Predator). More people has known about predator function or activity. Example, paryer manthis and ladybug. The parasitoids are an organism that has function as a predator doing. We know about that function when we look at the circulation of the ecosystem. 

The animal in the ecosystem always death. The examples are mouse farm death because an eagle ate the mouse. Just like that, an herbivore death by predators and parasitoids. The predators killed the herbivores often diggest directly. The parasitoids often killed the herbivores more softly.

The picture illustrates the Thritropic interaction. According to the above explanation, we can conclude that plant is maize, the herbivore is aphids, and the predator is a ladybug. The plants have two protection. First is direct protection, like grow some part of the body that function against herbivores. The second is indirect protection, like in the picture. Ladybug was deriving on maize and diggest the aphids. Chemicals materials were out from plants that invite some natural enemies (ladybug as predator). It was out from plants because plants get induced by herbivores.  

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Olfactometer Y Tube

Last week, I found something interest. I found a lot of ideas to develop my master's degree plan study. The Idea I got from reading more articles such as article journals, websites, etc. Finally, this tool makes me fascinating, because from my entrance to university until graduation day in front of my eye, recently I know about this tool now. When I study maybe I was not focused. In addition, faculty maybe have guessed the use of this tool unlink with the agriculture study (Applied science).

The name of this tool is Olfactometry Y Tube.

A schematic diagram of the Y-tube olfactometer, modified from Akol et al. (2003)48, used to test the effect of M. persicae feeding on the behavioral response of B. tabaci.:

You can see the Y tube in the picture below. So the interesting material from a tool packet is a function to know about the behavior of insects.

for journals reference

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Perluas Vocabulary Melalui Minat Mu

What is your passion type? I think this question is rather weird? The average person while given this question will be confused. I think because we do not more know about the type of passion, right? But just to the point, I will introduce my passion. My passion is Agriculture. In this section, I do not use any correct grammar. But, I think a little bit of used application Grammarly is okay. Hehe. With this application, I can learn more about arranging word to sentences and in the future, I hope don't need it again. I will be an expert in English! aamiin

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Enjoyment of Taking Photo on Nature


1. Eksotiknya Larva Kumbang Emas

Kumbang Emas (Charidotella sexpunctata) atau biasa disebut Golden Tortoise beetle. Ternyata mempunyai larva yang begitu eksotik dan menjadi pembeda dari larva-larva kumbang lainya. Larvanya memiliki rambut-rambut panjang mirip tanduk rusa ketika berhasil di foto. Dibalik kecantikan imagonya yang berwarna emas ternyata larva kumbang ini sangat jauh dari kata cantik, seram, namun begitu unik. Rambut-rambut tersebut berfungsi untuk mengelabuhi predator. Pada fase larva kumbang ini juga menjadi organisme pengganggu tumbuhan, namun belum dikategorikan hama. Tumbuhan yang biasa dimakan adalah tumbuhan kangkung kangkungan dan umbi-umbian. Bagian yang dimakan adalah daun. Fasenya yang lama, kurang lebih 3 minggu dapat menyebabkan daun tumbuhan dapat habis berlubang, sehingga proses fotosintesis terhambat. Maka dari itu dengan adanya foto ini harapanya pembaca bisa mengerti dan faham sebenarnya serangga yang difoto bukanlah ulat dari ordo lepidoptera atau diptera melainkan larva kumbang emas dan perannya sebagai pegganggu tanaman belum sampai menjadi hama.

2.  Si Kecil Lalat Kacang (Ophiomyia phaseoli) Bean fly

Perjalanan nama dari lalat yang berhasil ditangkap oleh kamera ini memanglah panjang. Berawal dari orang-orang yang biasa menyebutnya dengan lalat bibit. Sampai akhirnya disahkan namanya menjadi lalat kacang. Lalat ini biasa mengganggu tanaman kacang-kacangan, mulai dari kedelai, sampai kacang panjang. Serangga ini sudah dikategorikan hama penting pada berbagai tanaman. Walaupun ukuranya kecil dan waktu seranganya saat masa vegetatif, namun dampak yang ditimbulkan sangatlah besar. Mulai dari tanaman menjadi kerdil, sampai jumlah polong menjadi sedikit. Sangat sulit untuk mengendalikan lalat kacang ini, mulai dari penggunaan pestisida sampai pengendalian yang ramah lingkungan sudah dilakukan. Salah satu pengendalian yang efektif adalah mentreatment benih tanaman kacang-kacangan dengan insektisida sintetik.