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| Inauguration of Professor of FAAH UMM by the Rector (Photo: Lintang Humas) |
The University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) has increased its professors again. This time it comes from the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (FAAH) by inaugurating two new professors on March 2nd, 2024. They are Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Wahyudi, M.Kes. IPU, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Aniek Iriany, M.P., who study fascinating things in the world of agriculture and animal husbandry, respectively.
Wahyudi discussed the strategy to improve the health and prevent stunting of young ruminants. According to him, the Indonesian government must have more than a program to increase the number of young ruminant births. It should also have a strategy on how to care for the young ruminants that have been born, which ensures that the number of stillbirths is not higher than the number of imported feeders.
"If the number of ruminants that die and the stunting rate can be reduced nationally, then the policy of importing cattle feeders and meat is no longer needed. The cattle feeder self-sufficiency policy should be reorganized for the future," he said.
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He explained that the careless maintenance of ruminants from the early growth period until the polygastric phase can be detrimental. It causes death and stunting. Based on the 2015 data, the mortality rate of dairy cattle calves was 20 percent, while Balinese cattle raised communally with their broodmothers reached 55.56 percent. It rose to 72.73 percent in 2017.
According to him, the maintenance of healthy ruminants is very important, as it will have a significant impact on growth and meat production performance in adulthood. The environment of healthy ruminants that change from the womb in sterile conditions to the outside world that is full of contamination of "pathogenic soft creatures" and changes in nutrition will be very influential. This includes the digestion and absorption of the feed. Therefore, adequate preweaning care for young ruminants must be a serious concern to prevent death and stunting.
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On the other hand, Aniek explained crop adaptation strategies for sustainable agriculture. The three main points in this strategy are land use and management systems, crop improvement through plant breeding, and the efficiency of food demand and consumption. In addition, water shortages due to climate change are becoming a challenge. Therefore, crop microclimate modification is done by maintaining soil moisture and temperature, preventing soil erosion and nutrient leaching due to surface run-off, and reducing soil water evaporation.
"This can be implemented, for example, by applying mulch using organic materials such as straw and grass clippings as well as plastic. Mulching helps conserve water by minimizing evaporation on the soil surface," she explains.
As for mulching using different types of materials, it has the potential to maintain soil moisture, reduce evaporation losses, and suppress weed populations. The use of different mulches also has a significant impact on the growth, yield, and quality of various crops. (wil/put)
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