UNS —Lab EMPT (Ecology, Management, and Plant Production) Research Group of Agrotechnology Program Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a community service. The research group held training for plant cultivation with raft hydroponic method with double venturi pump. This community service was held in CV Kitanam as the partner of Karangasem Village, Laweyan Subdistrict, Surakarta City. The event was held offline under a strict health protocol.
The Community Service funded through Research Group Grant Non-State Budget UNS 2021 Agrotechnology Program FP UNS was led by Prof. Bambang Pujiasmanto with Prof. Sulandjari, Prof. Supriyono, Dr. Pardono, Dr. Puji Harsono, Dr. Eddy Triharyanto, and Hery Widijanto, M.P., as members. The training was attended by the Chief of Biotechnology and Biodiversity Research and Development Center (P3BB), Prof. Sri Hartati, and her team.
“This community service aims to improve the use of the yard for plant cultivation using the raft hydroponic system with double venturi pump,” Prof. Bambang explained.
The participants were enthusiastic about participating in the event held on April 2021, which is attended by the community leader, Drs. Jumbadi, M.Pd., and Zainal Arifin. Jumbaidi stated that he hoped the training would benefit the community in using their yard to cultivate plants using the introduced system. At the same time, Zaenal Arifin hoped that this event could be implemented continuously to support community efforts in fulfilling their nutritional needs.
Participants took part in a pretest that tests their knowledge of hydroponic systems before entering the training session. In this event, Prof. Bambang explained how people could apply a raft hydroponic system with two double venturi pumps, the tools needed, plants that could be cultivated, nursery method, and nutritional maintenance through pH and EC measurement. He explained that pH and EC of the water are vital because it affects growth and yields. Thus, demanding constant monitoring of pH and EC. “The tools used (for this purpose) are pH meter, EC meter, and TDS meter. TDS meter to measure nutritional density, the number of particles or diluted concentration and EC meter to measure conductivity,” he added.
Prof. Bambang also explained the ideal level of pH for leaves vegetables, fruits vegetables, fruits, and the ppm-level. The level should also be adjusted to the plant age to ensure maximum absorption. Further, Prof. Bambang added that a high EC level might cause the malformation of the plant’s shape. Therefore, the hydroponic farmer needs to check on the level of water to maintain the ideal EC level.
Ir. Triyono acted as a trainer and helped participants to create a hydroponic solution using AB MIX and measure pH, EC, and ppm. He added that high EC would also reduce the efficiency of nutritional absorption by plants. “The law of diminishing return appears and plant’s growth nearing a stagnation,” he said.
The community service is expected to improve the yard used for hydroponic cultivation in Karangasem Village, Laweyan, Surakarta. Humas UNS
Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti