Environmental pollution is one of the most critical issues concerning the quality of the environment and threatens the human safety due to bioaccumulation. The extensive application of pesticides causes great public concern about the negative impacts on the environment and human health. Herbicides have been used for weed management and to prevent the yield loss of agricultural products. In recent years, the environment’s quality is extensively considered due to the enormous pesticide application in agroecosystems. There are some different pathways for the degradation of herbicides in the environment, including biodegradation, chemical degradation, photodegradation, uptake by target or non-target plants, adsorption to soil particles and leaching. Assessing the environmental risks of herbicides before mass production, commercialization, and distribution is very important. The presence of herbicide residues in the environment has become a fundamental problem in many countries. Bioassay and analytical methods could identify, detect, and quantify herbicide residues in the environment. In this review paper, the fate, detection methods, and effect of herbicides on non-target plants have been discussed.

Drought stress adversely impacts growth, crop production, reproductive organ development, and yield characteristics in maize. As a drought-sensitive crop, maize (Zea mays L.) shows considerable varietal differences. A study was conducted at the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of North Sumatra, Medan, Indonesia in order to identify drought-tolerant maize varieties. During germination and early seedling growth, 16 local accessions were evaluated for drought tolerance. Based on local climate and soil conditions, these specific accessions were chosen. The varieties were tested against five levels of drought stress imposed by Polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000) at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%. An experiment with three replications was conducted using a completely randomized design. In the study, local maize accessions (BI3, SB5, DS2, and MN3) and the hybrid variety (H) showed the capability of tolerating drought stress. Generally, germination time, germination percent and vigor index, root and shoot length, shoot ratio, and fresh and dry weight were decreased by increasing PEG concentrations (up to 50%). According to ANOVA results, shoot water content was not significantly affected by the PEG, nor was the interaction between the PEG and the accessions. The root water content, however, was significantly affected by PEG, and the interaction between PEG and accessions. Although interactions between accessions with low PEG concentrations improved germination characteristics, the root histology of the accessions varied. According to drought tolerance indexes, five maize accessions are drought-tolerant, including H (0.683), SB5 (0.617), DS2 (0.565), MN3 (0.512), and BI3 (0.504). The drought-tolerant varieties are recommended in regions with low rainfall or low water sources since they are less water-intensive and produce higher yields.

Sari. Tujuan kajian ilmiah ini adalah untuk mengetahui manfaat dan mekanisme metabolit sekunder gulma, kelebihan dan kekurangan pestisida nabati gulma, identifikasi metabolit sekunder gulma, prosedur pembuatan pestisida nabati dari gulma, dan implikasi kebijakan dari pestisida nabati gulma dalam mengendalikan organisme pengganggu tanaman. Hasil kajian menunjukkan potensi senyawa metabolit sekunder dari gulma dapat berfungsi ganda sebagai pestisida nabati. Kelebihan pestisida nabati dari gulma antara lain: (1) metabolit sekunder gulma bersifat organik dan tidak bersifat racun, (2) gulma yang digunakan mudah diperoleh dari lapangan dan tidak membutuhkan biaya yang mahal, (3) beberapa mekanisme metabolit sekunder gulma tidak ditemui dalam mekanisme kerja pestisida sintetis, (4) memiliki lebih dari satu metabolit sekunder setiap spesies gulma yang manfaatnya ganda dalam mengendalikan OPT, (5) tidak menimbulkan keracunan pada tanaman budidaya, (6) dapat dikombinasi dengan pengendalian hama terpadu, (7) dapat diterapkan dalam skala perorangan maupun kelompok tani, dan (8) tidak menyebabkan hama, bakteri, nematoda, jamur dan OPT lainnya menjadi resisten. Pengujian skrining fitokimia dari gulma diperlukan agar tepat sasaran dalam mengendalikan OPT. Kebijakan yang dilakukan dalam penerapan pestisida nabati dari gulma, antara lain: petani diharapkan dapat mengekstrak dan mengaplikasikan metabolit sekunder gulma, serta Kementerian Pertanian bekerja sama dengan lembaga penelitian atau universitas dalam pengujian metabolit sekunder gulma, dan membentuk kelompok tani dalam memproduksi serta menciptakan hak paten pestisida nabati dari gulma. Kata kunci: Gulma, Metabolit Sekunder, Pestisida Nabati. The purpose of review is to determine the benefits and mechanisms of secondary metabolites from weed, the advantages and disadvantages of natural pesticides from weed, identification of secondary metabolites from weed, procedures for making natural pesticides from weeds, and policy implications of natural pesticides from weed in controlling plant pests. The results of review showed that the potency of secondary metabolites from weeds can be multiple as natural pesticides. The advantages of natural pesticides from weeds included: (1) secondary metabolites from weeds that are organic and not toxic, (2) weeds are easily obtained from the field and do not require expensive costs, (3) several mechanisms of secondary metabolites from weed not found in the mechanism of synthetic pesticides, (4) weeds have more than one secondary metabolite of with multiple benefits in controlling pests, (5) does not cause toxication in crops, (6) can be combined with integrated pest control, (7) can be applied in an individual scale and farmer groups, and (8) do not cause pests, bacteria, nematodes, fungi, and other pests to become resistant. The weed phytochemical screening is needed to make precise pest controlling. Policies that carried out in the application of natural pesticides from weeds are: farmers are expected to extract and apply pesticides from weeds, and Ministry of Agriculture collaborates with university or research institutions in secondary metabolites from weed testing, and forming farmer groups to producing and creating patent of natural pesticides from weeds.Keywords: Natural Pesticides, Secondary Metabolite, Weeds

Water is an essential input for agricultural development and irrigated agriculture. However, groundwater reliance is rising due to lack of canal water and is often inferior quality, costly, scarce, and ultimately expensive for smallholders. Moreover, as hunger rises daily due to population growth, additional irrigation water systems are needed to extend the cropping patterns. Therefore, wastewater (WW) use in agriculture has been increased on a growing scale over the last decades due to its fertilizing capacity and decrease in canal water and freshwater availability. It enhances soil productivity by contributing organic matter contents and preserves water and nutrients for plants. Various traditional treatments such as primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments are being used, but more working is required due to health and environmental issues. Therefore, the end product of tertiary treatments could be mixed with different water sources (for dilution), phytoremediator plants in channels and use of microbes that eat waste food could be adopted because the maximum crop yield is primarily determined by water quality, as well as climatic conditions, water management practices, chemical and physical soil properties. Besides, we can minimize the all-potential risks associated with agricultural activities and production via strengthened strategies, systemic dialogues, and financial frameworks. The present review discusses WW irrigation are that it provides a safer water source to the farmers and has the beneficial elements of providing essential plant nutrients after treatment and environmental sustainability.

Introduction: Magnesium is very important nutrient and performs a significant part in development and formation of many sink organs like roots and seeds. Furthermore, its fertilization significantly affects yield and numerous physiological mechanisms in different horticulture crop species. Moreover, its deficiency caused germination and reduction in horticulture crop stand. Nevertheless, its adequate concentration by foliar application plays important role in biochemical and physiological processes of plants like proteins synthesis, metabolism of carbohydrates, enzymes activation and energy transferring. Worldwide, many of our horticulture crops are facing low yield and quality problem due to fertilizer application at inadequate rate. The current review focuses on the impact of foliar applied Mg on some important cultivated horticultural crops (sugar beet, tomato, banana, potato, spinach, cauliflower, cassava, garlic, green case, potus, cucumber and grapes). Review results: Our extensive review has demonstrated that magnesium is very important factor limiting horticulture crop production but its negative impacts can be reduced by foliar application of magnesium. Foliar application of Mg can be recommended for correcting deficiencies because foliar sprays have no long term residual effect and every time fresh applications must be given to each crop. Moreover, amount depends on the nutrient status of crop and soil.

Tampubolon K, Purba E, Basyuni M, Hanafiah DS. 2019. Glyphosate resistance of Eleusine indica populations from North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 1910-1916. Controlling of Eleusine indica populations in oil palm plantations using a similar mode of action of herbicide may cause resistant weed. Overall E. indica populations from oil palm plantations in North Sumatra, Indonesia have never been reported to be glyphosate-resistant. This research was aimed to determine the survival percentage and to classify the resistance of E. indica to glyphosate from oil palm plantations in 11 districts in North Sumatra Province. The research was conducted in the Weed Research Center Field Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara from October 2016 to August 2017. This research was arranged in a Randomized Block Design with the glyphosate-treatment using a recommended dose of two l ha-1 and three replications. The ESU0 population was collected in the soccer field of Politeknik Negeri Medan (Medan city) was used as a check, and has never been exposed to the herbicide. Parameters were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and the means were compared using DMRT at a probability level of 5%. The results showed that 276 (65.56%) of 421 populations were classified as glyphosate-resistant, 88 populations (20.90%) were classified as glyphosate-resistant developing, and 57 populations (13.54%) were classified as glyphosate-susceptible. The highest range of dry weight of glyphosate-resistant E. indica populations were found in 5 districts including South Labuhanbatu District followed by the Serdang Bedagai, Simalungun, Asahan, and North Labuhanbatu Districts. The observed resistance level and dry weight range in the present study indicated the failure in controlling E. indica due to continued use of glyphosate and the potency of E. indica distribution into other oil palm estates due to its high biomass production capability.