Objectives and Research
Overall Objectives
The aim of the
cooperation between European and Indonesian Universities in the field
of agricultural research is the improvement in four objectives:
 1. Promotion of the exchange of knowledge and research experience, by
developing teaching modules/ material and contribute to the development
of agricultural and horticultural practices that are environmentally
sound and economically attractive. The project will focus on the Indonesian region of Aceh, where a large
proportion of the agriculturally used area was inundated with seawater
and contaminated with sludge and waste as a result of the tsunami.
2. Remediation of contaminated soils and establishment of sustainable agricultural and
horticultural production systems in this region.
Sludge and waste contaminating the agricultural area in Aceh probably contain
harmful elements such as heavy metals and polycyclic hydrocarbons.
 3. Elements that are harmful to human health are prevented from entering the food chain.
4. To gain general
information about changes of soil properties after the tsunami, about
the most successful strategies for remediation of contaminated
agricultural soils and about the time needed for harmful elements to be
decomposed or leached from soil. Such information may also be important
for other flooded land areas.
Short descriptions of research
Six young scientists from
Syiah
Kuala
University
and
Tadulako
University
have been sent to the European partner universities to gain a PhD. They are
learning new techniques and work on research topics that may be useful for the improvement
of the scientific research at the university and the status of the Indonesian
farms around Banda Aceh.
The following short descriptions of the PhD
theses provide an insight into the research work of each PhD student.
UNIVERSITY OF HOHENHEIM
Yusran
 Working title:
Development of crop
management strategies by using Pseudomonas
fluorescens strains enhancing arbuscular mycorrhiza in tomato with specific
focus on nutrient acquisition and suppression of soil born pathogens.
Summary:
It is the objective
of this project to investigate the effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on mycorrhization, nutrient acquisition and
furthermore on the suppression of fusarium wilt disease in tomato plants as an
example for innovative biological control of soil born pathogens. This study
will focus on commercial Pseudomonas
fluorescens strains as well as on strains isolated from soils in Banda Aceh
(
Indonesia
).
Safrizal
 Working title:
Interaction of plant growth
promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) in soybean chilli
pepper intercropping systems with specific focus on plant nutrients.
Summary:
Chilli pepper
and soy bean are important cash crops in
Indonesia
. It is the objective of
this project to investigate the effect of inoculation with selected PGPR, AM
and rhizobium strains, including interactions, on nutrient acquisition, yield
and quality of chilli pepper and soybean in intercropping systems under
multiple stress conditions (e.g. nutrient deficiency, drought, pathogen
attack). Pot experiment under standardised conditions at the
University
of
Hohenheim
(
Germany
) will be combined
with field experiments at the project model farms in Banda Aceh (
Indonesia
).
UNIVERSITY OF
NATURAL RESOURCES AND APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Syafruddin
Working title:
Use of Plant and Fertilizer for Degradation
of Crude Oil in Contaminated Soils.
Summary:
Organic contaminants are common environmental
pollutants. Phytoremediation is a potential technology for the in-situ
treatment that uses plants and their associated microorganisms to reduce the
concentration or minimize the toxicity of petroleum hydrocarbon in contaminated
soil. Research is required to investigate the effect of plant and fertilizer on the degradation
of crude oil in contaminated soils. Aims ofthis research are (a) to
develop effective methods for the determination of labile (plant available) P, (b)
to test the phytodegradation potential of rape (Brassica napus), mustard
greens (Brassica juncea), peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), and lucerne (Medicago
sativa), (c) to examine the effect of fertilisation on crude oil degradation,
and (d) to investigate the effect of intercropping on the degradation of crude oil
in soils and to determinate the effect of root exudates on crude oil
degradation.
Sri Wahidah Prahastuti
Working titel: Fate of metals in phytoremediation cropping system
 Summary:
The extraction of heavy metals
by accumulation in plants (phytoextraction) has been suggested as a gentle, in-situ remediation strategy of
contaminated topsoils. To improve phytoextraction efficiency it is necessary to
know about phytoavailable metal pools in soils. Currently available and applied
standard methods for the determination of phytoavailable metals in soils
include single extractions using neutral salt solutions. These standard
procedures sometimes underestimate the total plant available metal fraction. A
reliable determination of phytoavailable metal fractions including resupply
represents the fundamental basis of the phytoextraction-concept, yet
appropriate techniques are not available. Thus it is difficult to (1) evaluate
soils suitable for phytoextraction based on the size of phytoavailable metal
fractions, (2) reliably predict the period of time required for soil
remediation using phytoextraction. The development of effective methods
determining phytoavailable metal fractions is the main objective of this study.
HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
 Wahyu
Harso
Working title:
The mycorrhizal root system:foraging activities and interaction
with soil bacteria in a heteogeneous soil environment.
Summary:
The aim is the
investigation of symbiotic endomycorrhizal fungi. It is well known that these soil fungi
can significantly contribute to plant uptake of sparingly available mineral
nutrients as well as to the detoxification of harmful elements in the soil.
However, not much is known about how plant roots, endomycorrhizal fungi and
other soil microorganisms such as bacteria interact in the exploitation of
heterogeneously distributed resources in the soil. Particularly knowledge on
synergistic activities of plant roots and beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms
could help to properly manage these in agricultural soils, in order to increase
plant nutrient uptake or to decrease plant uptake of harmful elements such as
heavy metals or salt.
 Syakur
Working title:
Role of selected PGPR
strains of Enterobacter radicincitans to improve P-availability in low P
soils containing varying amounts and sources of phosphate.
Summary:
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for growth and yield of many crops and is also
important for soil microorganisms. However, many plants
throughout the world are P-deficient  because the plant available P
concentrations even in fertile soils are generally low. Plant growth
promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have potential to solubilize non plant available
P and thus function as biofertilizer. Enterobacter
radicincitans has been shown to solubilize anorganic
phosphate in culture medium, whereas knowledge about applicability of these
bacteria in field soils is still limited.
Till today, estimation of plant P availability is often problematic because
it is uncertain if the measured pools are relevant for plant production. This
study will contribute to a better understanding by measuring the effect of
P-solubilizing and P fertilizer application on plant growth and nutrient uptake grown in P
deficient soil.
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