Healthy Plants and Healthy Environment

From its establishment in 1979 until now, the Department of Protection Plant of IPB has played an active in analyzing and diagnosing plant diseases as well as giving services to the community in dealing with agricultural problems. In particular, in the face of extreme climate change, the IPB researcher, Dr. Suryo Wiyono, who is also Director of IPB Plant Clinic, gave some tips to deal with the effect of the coming rainy season with likely high rainfall in Bogor, in the Morning Dialogue of Radio of Republic of Indonesia, Tuesday (22/11).

There are three major types of pests on rice, namely Stem Borer, brown planthopper and Grantham. Meanwhile, on vegetables, the inflicting diseases are likely to be of virus types. For example, the virus that attacks beans is the Yellow Leaf virus (plants turn yellow but looked fresh, tending to rot). And on fruits, the disease is mostly of fungus types. For example, the diseases of papaya that causes the plants to become rotten.

Dr. Suryo also says that plants are also living things, and thus require treatment as humans. "If they have strong resistance or immunity, then the plants grow strong. Similarly, if a healthy environment is maintained properly, then the plants will grow well and healthy," explains Dr. Suryo.

In a discussion session with the audience, they generally discussed plants and prevention of plant diseases. Of the questions from the listeners via short message service (SMS) and telephone, one was about the handling of the taro plants disease that causes rotting. Dr. Suryo’s answer to such disease is a better drainage, intercropping and crop rotation. "Don’t keep planting taro. The organic fertilizer (dung) should not be of the newly-made, but should have been stored long enough or for several days," continued Dr. Suryo.

According to Dr. Suryo, in anticipating pest and disease, do not always rely on chemical fertilizers that can harm not only the plant itself, but also the environment as well as human health. Farmers have to take the habit of using environmentally friendly fertilizer, for example, handling the rice crop by chopping the straw after the harvest, and then spread back on the land as immunity.
 
Use the principle of "HEALTHY PLANTS HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT", advised Dr. Suryo. This principle is to control diseases to make plants healthy as well as environment, and this is always promoted by IPB Plant Clinic. (Mtd)