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Sanshool compounds are the trigeminal active compounds in andaliman (Zanthoxylum acantho-podium DC) with a numbing and tingling sensation. The analysis of such compounds is usually done through HPLC approach; however, limited studies have reported that the analysis of such compounds could be conducted with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). This method could save research time and funding by analyzing both sanshools and volatiles simultaneously, which would describe the complete profile of andaliman flavor compounds. This study aimed to confirm the potency of GC-MS in analyzing sanshool compounds and to utilize this method in studying the impact of different drying methods towards andaliman trigeminal active compounds. Andaliman was dried with five drying methods (sun, sunshade, air, oven, and freeze-drying) and was macerated with chloroform, concentrated, and analyzed with GC-MS. The results of this study showed that GC-MS was able to analyze sanshool compounds efficiently. Drying had no statistically significant impact on sanshool quantities extracted from andaliman. Fresh andaliman contained 0.69 % (dry weight basis) of α-sanshool, the main sanshool in andaliman. On the other hand, dried andaliman contained 0.80-1.08% of α-sanshool (dry weight basis). As oven drying managed to produce andaliman with a similar concentration of α-sanshool at a faster time and more affordable cost than other drying methods, oven drying was suggested as the ideal drying method to extend the shelf life of andaliman.

The study aims to isolate and test the effectiveness of mutualistic root symbiont fungi isolates from the roots of rubber plants grown in marginal acidic soil plantations in increasing the growth of food crops and forestry plants. The fungal were isolated by root surface sterilization methods. We obtained 19 fungal isolates consisting of 8 genera, namely Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Penicillium Paecilomyces, Trichoderma, and mycelia sterilia. All isolates were subjected to a pathogenicity test on the Centrosema pubescens plant. Five out of the 19 fungal isolates increased plant growth and showed no disease symptoms, and the Aspergillus section Nigri FKK 3 isolate showed the best response. The isolate was further analyzed to assess the growth response of food crops (rice and corn) and forestry plants (Acacia auriculiformis and Paraserianthes falcataria). The treatments consisted of 3 phosphate (P) concentrations, namely 20%, 50%, and 100% of the recommended field applications. The combination of mutualistic fungal inoculation of Aspergillus section Nigri FKK 3 and 50% P concentration exhibited the highest biomass growth response compared to other treatments. This finding can provide basic information for developing fungal-based fertilizers to increase the productivity of food crops and forestry plants on sub-optimal land. Keywords: food crops, phosphate fertilizer, forestry trees, plant growth improvement, root mutualistic fungi

Local rice varieties are commonly grown by the farmers locatedin acid sulfate soil area of South Kalimantan. In South Kalimantan, more than 100 local rice varieties can be found. In1999, a farmer found one hill (with 5 tillers) rice plant near a canal, later called Padi Panjang. The rice had panicle lengthof 50 cm. The panicle length of common local rice varieties are 25 cm. Since the finding, the farmer multiplied the seedfor 3 years to get a reasonable amount of seeds for nearby farmers to use. In 2004, there were 25 farmers grow the PadiPanjang by themselves. Their paddocks are widely spread out in Aluh-Aluh and Gambut districts. We take thisopportunity to investigate yield variation of the Padi Panjang that may be affected by soil properties variability. Tenpaddocks out of the 25 paddock were selected. At harvest time (in July-August), we measured the rice yield andcollected soil sample from the 10 paddocks. We found that the soil condition in the selected paddocks were marginallysuitable for growing improved rice. Without fertilizer, however, the rice yield varied from 3.21 to 8.09 Mg ha-1. We alsoobserved that the rice yield variations associated with tillers number. We did not find any correlation between riceyields with some selected soil properties, except it was observed that the tillers number was negatively correlated withsoil electrical conductivity (EC). The extreme yield of Padi Panjang might be explained the involvement of N fixingbacteria and P solubilizing bacteria, large rooting system and the ability of Padi Panjang root in modifying the rhizospheresoil

Nitrogen Nutrition of Some Local Rice Varieties Grown without Fertilizer on Acid Sulphate Soil Area inSouth Kalimantan (E. Purnomo, T. Hasegawa, Y. Hashidoko, P. J. Saputra and M. Osaki): Banjarese farmers in SouthKalimantan apply a very minimum nitrogen (N) fertilizer in growing local rice. This practice has been adopted for manyyears. Yet, the grain yield level at farmers’ field is not necessary low. Nitrogen sources for the crop are questioned.This study only focuses on measuring net N mineralization in association with N uptake. Three rice varieties at foursites in rice growing area of South Kalimantan are grown. The net N accumulation in soil and water, plant top biomass,N concentration of plant tissue and N uptake were measured on monthly basis. The results showed that all ricevarieties grown in the 4 locations took up more N than from N mineralized from the organic matter. The higher N in thecrop indicates that there are other sources of N for the local rice such as N fixed by microorganisms.