FITOREMEDIASI TANAH TERKONTAMINASI MINYAK BUMI DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN TANAMAN RUMPUT BAHIA (Paspalum notatum)

The increasing need for fuel derived from petroleum is also in line with the increased exploration and production activities of petroleum. Besides producing crude oil products, this activity also produces petroleum waste. This waste will pollute the soil which will have an impact on environmental damage, disruption of human health and other living things. Therefore according to Veegha (2008), an efficient and environmentally friendly method for treating petroleum waste is needed. One of the waste treatment methods is using phytoremediation method. Phytoremediation is defined as a technology for cleaning, removing or reducing harmful pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and toxic organic compounds in soil or water using the help of plants. This research was conducted for three months from September to November 2019 at the open nursery of PT. CPI with paranet shade 60%. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of bahia grass (P. notatum) in degrading Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in petroleum-contaminated soils in the Rokan Block PT. Chevron Pacific Indonesia and analyze the socio-economic impact of phytoremediation on local communities. The results showed that the effectiveness of Bahia (P. notatum) grass proved effective in reducing the concentration of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in petroleum-contaminated soils in the Rokan Block operating area of PT. Chevron Pacific Indonesia. The percentage of effectiveness shows a decrease in value of up to 58.38%. The socio-economic impact of phytoremediation on local communities has a positive impact with the planned phytoremediation activities using bahia grass with the community as work agents for planting the grass.

Propagating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with coffee plant by using the herbaceous host

Coffee (Coffea spp.) is one of important industrial crops. Additionally, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provide many benefits for plants such as increasing nutrient uptake, enhancing tolerance in drought and stress condition, etc. Therefore, preservation and propagation of AMF spores collected from coffee’s rhizosphere are necessary for coffee cultivation. The AMF preservation on coffee plant is not feasible because coffee is a long-term plants, which led to study on symbiotic ability of AMF on several short-term host plants (maize (Zea mays), plantain (Plantago spp.), rice (Oryza sativa), beggarticks (Bidens pilosa), and bahia grass (Pensacola bahia)) to maintain AM association. Investigation of symbiosis ability with four types of AMF spores showed that maize had the highest rate of fungal infection. The total number of AMF spore per 50g soil after 3 months of inoculation on maize reached 352 spores, which was 4.1 times higher than that of the origin while the lowest figure recorded in bahia grass is with only 2.3 times.

Evaluation of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) for short-term drought tolerance targeting low-maintenance landscaping

Drought responses of turf-type Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) in relation to their growth, carbon allocation and accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates were investigated. Seedlings were exposed to a 20 day terminal drought, followed by 20 day recovery with irrigation. Leaf dry matter was lower in water-stressed plants than control plants by the end of drought, but did not differ in roots. For both species, more carbon was allocated towards roots in response to drought. Total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) concentration in shoots was increased in drought-stressed plants of both species. However, root TNC concentrations in Bahia grass were decreased after drought. TNC pool sizes also showed a similar variation, hence correlated with TNC concentrations. Bahia grass maintained a better quality than Bermuda grass after the drought, having recorded a higher aesthetic score, higher relative water content and a lower electrolyte leakage. Results suggest that, both species are considerably tolerant to short-term drought though Bahia grass seems more promising.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(1): 12-16

Cultivation of Pleurotus sajor-caju on banana stalk and Bahia grass based substrates

Banana stalks and Bahia grass were utilized as basic starting materials for the production of the mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju. Banana stalks were combined with other waste or supplement products (wheat bran, coast-cross hay, bean straw and cotton textile mill) to obtain different nitrogen concentrations. Since Bahia grass is relatively rich in protein, it was combined with other substrates (banana stalk, coast-cross hay and bean straw) to maintain a substrate nitrogen concentration of about 1.5%. Banana stalks and Bahia grass were both more efficient in the production of the mushroom P. sajor-caju when utilized without the addition of other substrates, with biological efficiencies of 74.4% and 74.12%, respectively. When combined with other substrates or grasses, there was a drop in biological efficiency, independent of the concentration of nitrogen. Furthermore, the addition of protein-rich waste to banana stalks resulted in a decrease or absence of fructification, which indicates that high concentrations of nitrogen in the cultivation substrate may hinder the cultivation of this mushroom. On the other hand, results reveal that the ideal concentration of nitrogen may depend on other physicochemical factors and these factors may determine the success in cultivating P. sajor-caju. Therefore, we conclude that P. sajor-caju may be cultivated on banana stalk and Bahia grass as pure substrates, not being necessary their supplementation or combine them with another substrates.