The Center for Tropical Horticulture Studies (PKHT) IPB, through the RISPRO Invitation LPDP program, developed the NutriFerads tool, a precision fertilization system based on the soil analysis results. The introduction (launching) of NutriFerads was carried out at the PKHT IPB Tajur Bogor Experimental Garden, which was held on March 20, 2024.
Head of PKHT IPB center, Prof. Awang Maharijaya, said that the launching was attended by IPB leaders, Deans, Directors, and heads of centers within IPB. In addition, representatives from LPDP and collaboration partners in developing NutriFerads were present. Prof. Awang Maharijaya added that the launch of the Nutriferads tool aims to introduce guests to how to operate it. The location for launching this tool was chosen in Tajur Garden because the installation was installed, making it easier to demonstrate the tool.
So far, fertilizer application has been done manually or by machine, but we need to know how much fertilizer is required for plants. With this Nutriferads tool, plant fertilizer needs can be determined through soil analysis and fertilizer recommendations.
Ferads is a computer application program for interpreting soil analysis results in fertilizer recommendations. Recommendations for 30 types of commercial vegetable crops. Inputs include available P and K, organic C, and soil pH—recommendations for NPK nutrients, dolomite, and organic materials. There is a new integration feature with the Nutriferads fertilizer machine controller. Integration with nutrient sensors using WiFi or Bluetooth is available on Google Playstore. Nutriferads is an automatic fertigation and irrigation machine. This machine can be used for precision fertigation applications. Irrigation volume can be adjusted to field capacity using a soil moisture sensor timer controller or by considering the occurrence of rain using a rain sensor. Fertilizer doses can be input via the fertilizer controller dashboard, which has been integrated with the Ferads program and can be applied to the age of plant growth. The fertilizer controller and time controller can be operated remotely using a cellphone/PC/laptop on a network via WiFi. To demonstrate the Nutiferads tool, we invited one of the PKHT staff, Dr. Endang, to explain how the Nutriferads tool works in the field.
