ANALYSIS OF THE UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE FERMENTATION IN INCREASING SHALLOT PRODUCTION

Analysis of the Utilization of Agricultural Waste


INTRODUCTION
Shallots are part of the leading national vegetable group.The need for shallots is significant in Indonesia and used in everyday life.This commodity affects the economy due to high market demand and is part of Indonesia's economic strategy because the price of shallots often increases, causing inflation (Akbar & Fahria, 2022).The progress of farming to produce shallots in increasing farmer income must be made in agribusiness.The demand for shallots in Indonesia increases by 5% annually for consumption and seeds.This condition is almost the same as the population in Indonesia, which increases every year (Novianti et al., 2020) The problem is that the community's need for shallots is very high and is not balanced with production results, so the government's policy is to import shallots.Shallot plants are produced seasonally, so this situation causes instability in their availability, while the demand and supply of shallots last throughout the year.Shallots have experienced an increase in production in the previous four years in line with the rise in the area of shallot plantations.Shallot consumption has continued to increase throughout the year, leading to disputes between production and consumption.
The Harvested Area, Production, and Consumption of shallots in North Sumatra from 2017 to 2021 show an increasing trend, with a slight decrease in 2021.In 2020, the Harvested Area reached its highest point with 3,148 hectares.This could indicate an expansion in the production of shallots in North Sumatra to meet the increasing demand.The output of shallots in North Sumatra has been increasing over the years, except for a significant decrease in 2021.The highest increase was seen in 2020 when production almost doubled compared to the previous year.This could be due to favorable weather conditions and better farming practices.The consumption of shallots in North Sumatra has been increasing over the years, indicating an increase in demand.However, in 2020, consumption decreased, despite the increase in production.This could be due to various factors, such as changes in consumer preferences or economic factors affecting purchasing power.Overall, the data suggest that the shallot industry in North Sumatra has been growing, with an increasing Harvested Area and Production.However, further analysis is required to identify the factors affecting the significant decrease in production in 2021 and the decrease in consumption in 2020 (Badan Pusat Statistik dan Direktorat Jenderal Hortikultura, 2022) Increasing the growth and production of shallots cannot be separated from the influence of inorganic fertilizers.Still, the scarcity and high price of inorganic fertilizers can cause failure in shallot farming to increase shallot production growth.The result of agricultural production is waste that can be processed into solid organic fertilizer or liquid fertilizer containing macro and micronutrients by slowly released into the soil, which functions to improve texture, drainage, and water in the ground so that the ability of the earth to absorb, exchange and release again into the soil solution (Kebede Biratu et al., 2019).
The benefits of using organic fertilizers in increasing soil fertility to increase plant growth and production.In addition, it also contains nutrients limited to several organic fertilizers containing microbes that can change or improve the structure and quality of the soil as a planting medium.(Tharmizi Hakim, 2019).
Organic fertilizers also have weaknesses.Namely, their availability is not tiny if sourced from a single agricultural waste material.It needs to be fermented, so it takes a long time to become compost, and there are not many types of organic fertilizers available in agricultural shops.This is what is of concern to researchers to carry out processing tests on some liquid waste to be used as organic fertilizer in solid form or solid organic fertilizer and liquid form or liquid organic fertilizer.(Hai et al., 2017) The process of producing natural fertilizer from agricultural waste needs to be carried out by anaerobic fermentation to increase soil fertility on an ongoing basis to increase plant productivity.This research focuses on converting agricultural waste into organic fertilizer as an alternative to the scarcity of chemical fertilizers and supporting sustainable environmental health so that it can be used for the growth and production of shallots and other crop commodities (Simarmata et al., 2019).
According to (Kiyasudeen S et al., 2016), the strategy for processing organic waste is that composting is the right choice to get fertilizer economically and environmentally friendly.Composting reduces or even eliminates the spread of pathogens, parasites, and weed seeds applied directly and produced a stable end product that can be used to improve and maintain soil quality and fertility.
The nutrient content of various agricultural waste materials in terms of macro and micronutrients.Macronutrients include Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), while micronutrients include Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), and Manganese (Mn).The waste materials with the highest nutrient content are tofu dregs and chicken blood waste, which contain high levels of macronutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus.Other waste materials with important macronutrient content include oil palm empty bunches and pineapple skin waste.On the other hand, rice husk waste and banana hump waste have relatively low nutrient content.Eggshell waste, on the other hand, contains high levels of Calcium.It is important to note that these nutrient contents may vary depending on factors such as the type of waste material, age of the eISSN: 2527-2748 material, and processing methods used.
Referring to previous research by utilizing 1 or 2 agricultural wastes to make organic fertilizer with less than optimal total nutrient content, the researchers did a novelty by mixing five types of fermented agricultural waste to become solid organic fertilizer and five fermented agrarian wastes.The material to be used as liquid organic fertilizer is pineapple skin waste, rice husk waste, tofu dregs waste, chicken blood waste, goat urine, banana hump waste, eggshell waste, old coconut coir, rice wash water waste, oil palm empty bunches and a large number of macronutrients is expected to be able to change the vegetative and generative phases of shallots.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The research was carried out in April 2022 in the village of Tanjung Gusta, Sunggal District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra Province, with an altitude of 38 meters above sea level.The materials used were red onion seeds of the Sanren F1 variety, ten fermented agricultural waste materials using effective bio activator microorganisms (EM4), and drops as a material energy source for microorganisms.The anaerobic handling process in manufacturing solid organic fertilizer and liquid fertilizer using agricultural waste takes 21-30 days.The researcher cultivated the land for a research demonstration plot by hoeing the soil until it was loose.The ground became easy to form a demonstration plot, then left exposed to light for one week to sterilize pests and diseases in the demonstration plot.Then the soil moisture was measured in the demonstration plot to obtain a neutral pH ranging from 6-7.
The research objective was to determine the utilization of agricultural waste in increasing shallot production by measuring plant height (cm), number of tillers (tubers), dry tuber production (g), and conversion of shallot production per hectare (kg).Data collection techniques in this study were carried out using three models: viewing and observing the treatment of research plants.Furthermore, the recording model of the measurement of shallot research plant variables is a data collection that was processed using a factorial randomized block design method, then continued with the literature model as a reference from the research results.The research demonstration plot was 1 square meter in size with a spacing of 20 cm x 20 cm between plants consisting of 2 factors with 16 treatment combinations and two replications, resulting in 32 plots.With 16 plants per plot and eight plant samples.From each plot.Factor 1 with solid organic fertilizer (P) treatment consisted of 4 parts: P 0 = 0 kg/plot, P 1 = 1.5 kg/plot, P 2 = 2.5 kg/plot, and P 3 = 3 .5kg/plot.Factor 2 with liquid organic fertilizer treatment (C) consisted of 4 parts, namely C0 = 0 ml/liter of water/plot, C1 = 250 ml/liter of water/plot, C2 = 500 ml/liter of water/plot, and C 3 = 750 ml/ liter of air/ plot.Data obtained from observations using linear model analysis of variance Yijk = + pi + I + k + (αβ) jk + ijk (Azrai et al., 2017).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The research results on the utilization of agricultural waste in the production of shallots from the observations of the vegetative and generative phases are as follows.

Plant Height (cm)
Plant height was measured when the plants were 2 to 6 weeks after planting with an observation interval of 1 week until the plants were six weeks after planting.Measurement of plant height based on factors and treatment levels, as well as statistical data results, are shown in Table 1.
Plant height at 4, 5, and 6 the weeks after planting showed a genuine effect based on each treatment level's P and C treatment.This indicated that mixing several agricultural wastes containing nutrients and microorganisms showed an excellent response to the growth process.In vegetative plants, this suggests that organic fertilizer reactions can change soil aggregates to become more porous so that the flow of oxygen in the soil becomes smooth so that the response of roots in absorbing oxygen and nutrients becomes easier.This proves that selecting agricultural waste to be used as organic fertilizer in increasing macronutrients, especially for growth, namely element N of 39.51%, is proven suitable for the research, then impacts the environment, which affects plant health.This is in line with the statement (T.Hakim & Anandari, 2019) that high growth and production levels depend on cropping patterns and the environmental conditions of cultivated plants.(Sahetapy et al., 2017) States that applying organic matter can increase nutrient concentration, storage, porosity, air supply in the soil, soil aeration, and temperature.Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth, especially in vegetative processes such as increasing the number of tillers.Increasing the dose of manure can increase the number of tillers in shallot plants (Rahayu et al., 2014).Shallot farmers can anticipate the scarcity and high cost of inorganic fertilizers if the agricultural waste around the environment can be optimally utilized to ensure no failure in agricultural cultivation.The use of organic fertilizers will have multiple advantages, namely saving fertilizer costs, clearing healthy agricultural land, good shallot bulb production, and people consuming shallots to be beneficial because they do not have residual effects from artificial chemical elements.Still, on the other hand, organic fertilizers also have weaknesses, namely processing.Making organic fertilizer takes time, money, and effort.Still, on the other hand, there are new opportunities for the organic fertilizer business for farmers who are reluctant to make organic fertilizer.

Number of tillers (tubers)
The number of tillers was counted when the plants were 5, 6, and 7 the weeks after planting with an interval of 1 week.The number of children is calculated by directly counting the number of tuna in each clump based on the factors and level of each treatment, and the processing statistics can be seen in Table 2 as follows.Observations in calculating the yield of shallot tillers aged 5, 6, and 7 weeks after planting showed a significant effect from each level of the two P and C treatments.According to (Hakim Tharmizi, 2020), solid organic fertilizers have high levels of nutrients, so they can increase soil fertility and weaken the role of microorganisms.This is influenced by the part of the macronutrients N, P, and K, which are large so that the role of N in leaf development becomes more significant and longer so that the stomata on the leaves become more numerous and make the photosynthetic process reaction easier thereby increasing the number of shallot tillers.The role of phosphate and potassium stimulates root growth and the formation of a root system so that shallot plants can respond to fertilizers to stimulate growth, strengthen stems, and make plants resistant to disease attacks.This study used shallot seeds with the disadvantage of a small number of tillers compared to roots from bulbs.This is a characteristic of shallot seeds from seeds but has the advantage of larger tuber size, thereby increasing the shallot bulb production up to 2 times compared to using sources from bulbs (T.

Dried Bulbs Production (g)
The dry tuber production variable a was carried out by harvesting, which was then carried out by wind drying for one week and then compared as a whole based on factors and treatment.The results of processing statistics can be seen in Table 3 as follows.Production of dried tubers was carried out after harvest and then air dried for one week and then compared as a whole based on factors and treatment levels.The results of the fingerprint analysis showed that the P and C treatment on dry tuber weight per plot had a very significant effect.The increase in dry tuber production cannot be separated from the role of the nutrient potassium, which functions to maintain plant health, so it impacts the formation and enlargement of tubers.The role of photosynthesis in converting macronutrients into organic compounds available to shallot plants is distributed to all plant organs and affects plant dry weight (Susikawati et al., 2018).

Conversion of Shallot Production per Hectare (kg)
This variable measures shallot production per hectare after converting dry tuber production (g) from 2 factors at each treatment level.After the data is processed statistically, the results can be seen in Table 4 below.Calculation of production conversion of shallots (Allium ascalonicum L) per hectare shows that yield conversion of shallots has the highest average production in the P3 and C3 treatments.This proves that using agricultural waste materials can increase plant growth and production both vegetatively and generatively.Plant dry weight indicates that plants accumulate during photosynthetic activity and is a synthesis of almost all the processes these plants go through.The high yield of production conversion per hectare at each treatment level indicates that the high content of N, P, and K nutrients, air, and sunlight which play a role in making the raw materials for photosynthesis and metabolism, can be broken down into plant food ingredients run smoothly so that the photosynthesis produced is also high and stored in the ground-generative organs.So, the tubers' weight looks quite heavy (Suprapto et al., 2019).eISSN: 2527-2748 The shallot production conversion variable per hectare with an area of 1 hectare was obtained at 9,395 tonnes in the P3 treatment, while in the C3 treatment, a weight of 8,966 tonnes was obtained.This indicates that some agricultural wastes have a high proportion of total macronutrients.Using agricultural waste can increase the growth and production of shallot bulbs.

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTION
Variable plant height (cm), number of tillers (tubers), dry tuber production (g), and conversion of shallot production per hectare (kg) showed excellent results based on the data table presented, and this proves the research objectives, so this research makes the solution to the shortage of red onion production in North Sumatra and also agricultural waste is an alternative solution to the scarcity and high price of inorganic fertilizers.It is hoped that in the future, Indonesia, in general, and the province of North Sumatra, in particular, will be able to increase shallot production beyond consumption.Increasing the level of P and C handling is necessary, considering that data consumption is higher than data production.Further research is needed to solve the high price of inorganic fertilizers after Covid 19, inflation in Indonesia, and the recession of unique materials from inorganic fertilizer supply countries.

Table 1
Based on the Multiple Distance Test (DMRT), the numbers in the same column followed by unequal letters mean that they are significantly different at the 5% level (lowercase letters) and very considerably different at the 1% level (uppercase letters).
aA Description:

Table 2 .
The average number of tillers due to P and C treatment at 5, 6, and 7 weeks after planting (WAP).Based on the Multiple Distance Test (DMRT), the numbers in the same column followed by unequal letters mean that they are significantly different at the 5% level (lowercase letters) and very considerably different at the 1% level (uppercase letters).
aA Description: Hakim

Table 3
Based on the Multiple Distance Test (DMRT), the numbers in the same column followed by unequal letters mean that they are significantly different at the 5% level (lowercase letters) and very considerably different at the 1% level (uppercase letters).

Table 4 .
Average Conversion of Shallot Production per Hectare (kg) Due to P and C Treatments.Based on the Multiple Distance Test (DMRT), the numbers in the same column followed by unequal letters mean that they are significantly different at the 5% level (lowercase letters) and very considerably different at the 1% level (uppercase letters).
aA Description: