Environmental Management
A. Prabowo; R.N. Hayati; S. Minarsih; B. Haryanto; D.D. Ludfiani; A. Supriyo; S. Subiharta; E. Nurwahyuni; Y. Hindarwati; M.N. Setiapermas; S. Sudarto; S. Samijan; B. Utomo; E. Winarn; N.D. Suretno; W. Wibawa; S. Agustini; A. Prasetyo; F.R.P. Hantoro; W. Hariyanto; V.E. Aristya
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sorghum is a grain-producing commodity with the seeds being a food source, while the leaves, stems, and bran serve as animal feed. The productivity depends on the specific variety, environment, infrastructure, and technology used. Sorghum cultivation in Indonesia is carried ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sorghum is a grain-producing commodity with the seeds being a food source, while the leaves, stems, and bran serve as animal feed. The productivity depends on the specific variety, environment, infrastructure, and technology used. Sorghum cultivation in Indonesia is carried out primarily using agroforestry or monoculture. Despite not being as popular compared to rice and corn due to the prevalence of these staples in Indonesian diets, sorghum has the potential to replace corn because its cultivation is easier and the results are more profitable. Therefore, this study aimed to determine sustainability index and potential of sorghum for food and feed by identifying dimensions and attributes that influence sustainability.METHODS: This study was conducted at Raji, Demak, Central Java, Indonesia in 2023. Data were collected through focus group discussions and structural questionnaires consisting of 28 attributes associated with environmental, social, economic, and technological dimensions. Multidimensional scaling method and Rapfish software were used for data analysis. Monte Carlo analysis was used to ascertain sustainability level and attributes leverage, as well as check errors and variations in assessment.FINDINGS: The results showed that sustainability index of sorghum for food and feed was 79.67, categorized as very sustainable. Analysis across four dimensions showed that the social dimension had the highest (83.80) sustainability index, followed by the technological (82.28), economical (77.46), and environmental (75.15) dimensions. A total of 12 attributes were found to greatly affect sustainability. These included land availability, the efficiency of water used, the prevention of natural resource exploitation, motivation level, minimal interference with primary agricultural activities, community acceptance, productivity, sales profit level, ease of sale and cultivation, tools availability, and technological sensitivity.CONCLUSION: Sustainability index of sorghum for food and feed was categorized as very sustainable with a value of 79.67. This index consisted of the environmental (75.15), social (83.80), economical (77.46), and technological dimensions (82.28). The average productivity at the study site was 6-7 tons per hectare, with a production potency of 300-350 tons per year. Additionally, the potency of sorghum stover production was 471.8 ton per year of dry matter and could be used as feed for 163 animal units per year
Environmental Management
R. Daneshvar rad; H. Heidari Sharifabad; M. Torabi; R. Azizinejad; H.R. Salemi; M. Heidari Soltanabadi
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress caused by dryness can affect plant growth and physiology. Several coping mechanisms (recovery, avoidance, tolerance and drought escape) have been developed to mitigate the impact of drought stress, and most strategies involve survival during stress condition. ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress caused by dryness can affect plant growth and physiology. Several coping mechanisms (recovery, avoidance, tolerance and drought escape) have been developed to mitigate the impact of drought stress, and most strategies involve survival during stress condition. The aim of this study was to compare the morphological and physiological characteristics of two varieties of sorghum forage (Pegah and Speedfeed) under drought stress conditions in order to provide beneficial and functional recommendations to farmers in the study area.METHODS: This study was performed as a spit-plot plot in a complete randomised design with 3 replications for two years in Esfahan, Iran. Experimental treatments included drought stress at three levels for two varieties of sorghum. Mechanisms of sorghum response to drought stress, including physiological and morphological alterations, were also proposed. Treatment means were compared by the Duncan test at 5% and 1% levels of probability. The statistical analysis was applied to the data using the R software.FINDING: Lower irrigation showed a gradual decrease in plants height, number of leaves per plant, stem diameter, nitrogen and crude protein, with an increase in the length and weight of their panicle. Compared to Pegah variety, Speedfeed cultivar with 12% increase enhanced the contents of chlorophyll (1.7 times) in the two years of experiment. It could be concluded that Speedfeed variety exhibited better yield and quality characteristics against drought stress compared to Pegah variety. Considering the tolerance index and the harmonic mean index, Pegah showed the highest sensitivity to drought stress.CONCLUSION: This study indicated that sorghum had several adaptive mechanisms for dealing with drought stress, so that it could be applied as a suitable alternative for other crops with higher water needs such as Zea.
