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| Rector of UMM, Dr. Fauzan, M.Pd. participated in the harvest of superior rice. (Photo: PR of UMM) |
FAMILY food security during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a particular concern of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). Lecturers and students collaborate to develop superior products to answer this challenge. One of them is by creating superior rice with 400 grains per stem.
Typically, one rice tree only has 125-200 grains. However, through the technology developed by the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry team of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), one stem can have up to 400 grains of rice. The first test was a success. UMM named its rice variety UM2-400.
The new rice variety, coded UM2-400, is a crossbreed of several local rice varieties in East Java. UM2-400 is a local variety developed by FPP using unique technology.
Dr. Ir. David Hermawan, Dr. Ir Wahono, and students spearheaded this development. Last April, it had its first harvest. "Starting from seeding x seeds, tillage such as fertilizer used is also organic. Then, supporting because it does not use pesticides, the spraying uses drone technology," explained David Hermawan, Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries UMM.
However, David chose not to answer when asked about the type of rice varieties crossed. However, he said the seeds resulted from the crossbreeding of 4 rice varieties. "What type is the exact as what? It's a secret," he said during the interview.
He also said that the seeds they develop are superior and pest-resistant. In addition, the stems are also solid and wind-resistant. "Often, there are crop failures due to collapsed rice. So, we are trying to develop in that direction. In addition, the grains we develop are, on average, above 400. This number is more than other rice varieties which are only 125-200 grains per stem. Now we are developing 600 and 700 grains," he said.
David also explained that to produce good quality rice, not only good breeding is required. It also requires good land management and fertilizer. "We use liquid fertilizer and manure made by practicum students," he said.
The superior variety of rice developed by FPP was planted in UMM's rice fields in the Tegalgondo area, Malang Regency. He explained that the advantage of this variety is that it can produce more than the general production. Meanwhile, the harvest period is the same: about 105 days.
"This can be up to 2-3 times the production of the usual type. Nationally, the standard is usually 5.1 tonnes per hectare. Still, this variety can be 12 tonnes per hectare, with lower production costs, Rp 15 million per hectare, while conventional farming averages Rp 20 million per hectare," he explained.
He hopes that this variety will be able to support food self-sufficiency. "So if the government wants, there is no need to import rice and reduce foreign exchange. So, we can produce high productivity and healthy products because we don't use chemical fertilizers," he said.
According to his observations, if this variety is used in Greater Malang alone, the need for rice will be fulfilled even more. "From my observation, we have around 70,000 hectares. For example, 70,000 hectares times an average of 10 tonnes means there are more than 700,000 tonnes. I think it is very sufficient to meet the food needs of the Greater Malang Area," said the lecturer, who is also the head of the Malang District food security working group. (cdr/*/can)
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