Professor Chair Holder of IPB: the Prospect of Agrometeorology
The main variable of Indonesia's climate is not temperature or air pressure, but rainfall. Split by the equator, indonesia has an almost entirely tropical climate, with the coastal plains averaging 28°C, the inland and mountain areas averaging 26°C, and the higher mountain regions, 23°C. The area's relative humidity is quite high, and ranges between 70 and 90 percent. The extreme variations in rainfall are linked with the monsoons. Generally speaking, there is a dry season (June to September), and a rainy season (December to March). Therefore, farmers in Indonesia have been experiencing climate variations by since the Dutch East Indies colonial era. Sugarcane and Teak can grow well in Central Java and East Java which have low rainfall. While oil palm plants that require high rainfall, growth in West Java and Sumatra.
The Agrometeorology Study Program was established in Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in 1979, and it the only high learning institution that offers such course in Southeast Asia. Progress in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has triggered the development of agricultural simulation models in weather elements and physiological processes of crops.
One of the Professor Chair Holders of Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Bogor Agricultural University (FMIPA IPB), Prof. Dr. Ir. Handoko, M.Sc stated that agriculture in the broad process is harvesting solar energy by utilizing biological resources to produce food, clothing and boards, even renewable energy and other pharmaceutical raw materials. The development of agrometeorology science and technology is really required for the determination of the efficiency of solar radiation utilization by the plant in order to increase agricultural productivity in Indonesia in the future.
Prof. Handoko explained those statement in the press conference, at Media Center IPB Campus, Dramaga, Bogor, on 3 August 2017, prior scientific oration.
Agrometeorology can be used to contribute to further understanding of the relative importance of each environmental component, organising the field activities and optimising the use of natural resources. He stated further that, Remote sensing provides the most important informative contribution to GIS, which furnishes basic informative layers in optimal time and space resolutions. This is especially true today, due to the availability of new tools, as geographic information systems (GIS), which allow the management of an incredible quantity of data, as traditional digital maps, database, models etc. Geospatial technology is a combination of four essential tools: remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and information technology or data management. Remote Sensing is an advanced technology in its application to the field of agrometeorology. The researchers used NOAA data to predict NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) which was then used as input of the rice plant simulation model (Shierary Rice v2.0) to replace weather data. The model is executed daily by inputting the selected satellite data of NOAA in each pixel (x, y). One pixel represents one hectare of land.
Outputs are presented in spatial form in accordance with administrative areas both district and province. The output presented is the harvesting areas (in hectares) and the yield (ton per hectare) in each day. If they display green colour, then the area is not yet time to harvest, but if the colour is yellow, then the area is ready for harvest. So the use of this technology allows us to get real and accurate data.
Yet, at present IPB has developed Automatic Weather Station (AWS) which measures seven weather parameters including solar radiation, air temperature, air humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and air pressure for locations in areas with connected internet network . Data from AWS can be used by farmers to determine the type of plant suitable for climatic conditions around AWS. The data collected by AWS can be accessed via http: //www.ipbch.net/aws address.
"AWS is homemade so it's cheaper. We have installed several weather stations in several regions of Indonesia we have developed. In the past the Dutch colonial had installed 8 thousand climate stations spread throughout Indonesia. To enable make farmers prosperous, the government also should install 8 thousand AWS scattered throughout Indonesia, "he explained.
With reference to the facts, future agrometeorology can also be applied in all aspects of agriculture, from the agronomy to forestry. The utilization of agrometeorology to forestry enables one to develop a simulation model of Forest Concession (HPH) which can be used to monitor its activities from hydrological aspects. (Wied)
