Green Fertilizer from Seaweed
Various types of seaweed that are considered not to have economic value it can be used as a raw material of organic fertilizer. Nutrient content of micro-and makronya higher than urea.
The ocean held so many biological resources that high sales value. In addition to various kinds of fish, other marine wealth for the benefit of mankind is seaweed. During this, a lot of seaweed used as food ingredients, such as jelly or jelly, bread, salads, sauces, and ice cream.
Besides food, marine plants, including the Ganga family that can be processed into beverages such as yogurt and syrup. Seaweed is also used to be extracted for pharmaceutical raw materials, cosmetics, and fuel. Therefore, do not be surprised if a certain type of seaweed is cultivated for many industrial supplies.
According to lead researcher of marine natural products from Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Rachmaniar Rachmat, there are several types of seaweed high economic value and many cultivated in Indonesia. Some are Eucheuma, Gracilaria, and Microphylum.
There are more than 600 species of seaweed scattered in Indonesian waters. -Spesien species of seaweed were classified into four classes, namely (red algae Rhodophyceae), brown algae (Phaeophyceae), green algae (Chlorophyceae), and blue-green algae [Cyanophyceae).
Unfortunately, most of the seaweed that has not been studied in more depth about the content of substance-zatnya. As a result, the types of seaweed was considered to have low economic value.
Rachmaniar said most of the seaweed was less prospective wild life in the waters of East Indonesia, particularly around the island of Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua.
The amount of seaweed that are considered a low economic value that is likely to be fertilizers containing macro nutrients and micro high enough.
It can be proved from the existence of waste piles of seaweed on the surrounding environment utilizing industry resources that sea vegetable. In the waste piles of seaweed that have been decaying weeds that usually grow or plant variety.
"It's an indication of seaweed contain compounds that are beneficial to plants," said Rachmaniar who also became the Executive Secretary of the Association of Indonesian Seaweed.
Since the industrial waste, piles of seaweed that was contaminated with various chemicals. As a result, the content of the resulting fertilizer had helped contaminated.
Based on this possibility ditelitilah make fertilizer from seaweed that is free from chemicals. Seaweed seaweed used is considered low value ekoriomi.
Based on the results of research known Rachmaniar seaweed Turbinaria species and has Sargasum macro nutrients and micro-full enough. Nutrient elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. While micro-nutrient elements such as iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molibden, boron, and chlorine.
"The elements contained in the seaweed fertilizer is more than the sale of urea fertilizer on the market," claims Rachmaniar.
Furthermore, explain Rachmaniar seaweed fertilizer in solid form begins with destroying sea grass until smooth.
The goal, in order of destruction of bacteria in the fermentation process can work optimally. In addition, compounds laktosan (sugar compounds) can be easily merged.
All the raw materials of seaweed fertilizer is mixed and put into containers such as drums, plastic, or a place that allows the process of fermentation airtight. If during fermentation is air, then the fertilizer manufacturing process will fail. Optimal fermentation time to create a solid seaweed fertilizer was about two weeks. After that, the fertilizer can be applied to vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
In addition to solid fertilizers, there is also a liquid seaweed fertilizer. Raw materials needed to make liquid fertilizer did not differ with the solid fertilizer.
The difference only lies in the manufacturing process and the length of fermentation time. Liquid seaweed fertilizer requires the addition of water with fermentation time for five days.
More Fertile
Rachmaniar presented based on test results between good seaweed fertilizer solid, liquid, or a mixture of both the urea plant conditions known to use seaweed fertilizer is more fertile. In the trial of seaweed fertilizer spraying was conducted twice during the growing season.
In general, a given plant fertilizer seaweed produce larger stems and upright, rough leaf veins, stems are not easily broken, and the green leaves and not easily torn. While the weeded plants urea has a simple rod collapsed and broken, dark green leaves, leaf veins was smooth, and easily torn.
Test the effectiveness of seaweed fertilizer on the plants during the four-week high yield crops that were given solid fertilizer reaches 32.8 inches. Whereas plants given urea high as 32.2 centimeters.
Long-leaf plants that use solid seaweed fertilizer reaches 13.7 inches, while the leaves of plants that use of urea fertilizer has a length of 9.3 centimeters.
"The effectiveness of the test results we could conclude that by looking at the power plant, resistance to the environment, and the size of the plant, the most effective use seaweed fertilizer intensive," said Rachmaniar. Seaweed fertilizer formula is planned to be commercialized by a private company this year.
According to the doctorate in chemistry of natural materials from Padjadjaran University, Bandung, although it has many advantages, seaweed fertilizer also has weaknesses. Leaves of plants fed seaweed fertilizer with the hole for many caterpillars eat leaves than plants that were made from chemical fertilizers.
However, on the other hand, it could be an indicator that the plant does not harm human health when consumed. "If the caterpillar just afraid to consume the chemical, there must be why. It showed the plants were made from chemical fertilizers actually be harmful if consumed by humans" Rachmaniar said. * Awm/L-2
Source: Koran Jakarta, January 18 2010.Hal.22
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