Currently, agricultural land, especially for food crops, is decreasing as it is being replaced by building structures or other plant species that are considered more profitable from a business perspective. According to Mulyani et al. (2016), by 2045, rice fields will cover only 5.1 billion hectares due to continuous conversion to other uses, such as infrastructure or palm oil plantations. Furthermore, reduced agricultural land use can result in lower crop yields. Two of the ways to address this problem are by using cultivation methods that do not require soil and adding elicitors to plants.

Recently, the use of cultivation methods with growing media other than soil is considered the main solution to the issue of agricultural land constriction. Commonly used cultivation methods without soil include hydroponics and aeroponics. Hydroponics is a cultivation method that uses water as the growing medium, whereas aeroponics uses air. Although aeroponics is often grouped as a type of hydroponic method, there are differences, particularly in the amount and form of water used. Hydroponics use water in a relatively large volume compared to aeroponics. Aeroponics, on the other hand, uses small amounts of water in mist form, while hydroponics uses water in various forms, such as thin films (Nutrient Film Technique [NFT] type), standing water (Deep Film Technique [DFT] type, floating raft type, and wick type), and drips (drip irrigation type). The water used in both hydroponic and aeroponic cultivation methods is inert (does not contain nutrients). Therefore, the plant’s nutrient requirements are fulfilled by adding nutrients at specific doses. This nutrient management can maximize plant growth both in time and yield (infarm, 2020).

The reduction in agricultural land leads to lower crop yields. According to Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) data from 2023, the harvested area decreased from 10.45 billion hectares in 2022 to 10.21 billion hectares in 2023. Rice production has also declined. It went from 54.75 billion tonnes in 2022 to 53.98 billion tonnes in 2023. It is possible that agricultural land and crop yields will continue to decrease in the future. This is concerning, considering that rice remains the main staple food for Indonesians. In other words, shrinking agricultural land could lead to new problems related to food security. One of the ways to increase crop yields is by adding elicitors to plants.

Elicitors are substances that can trigger plant responses. This is the reason why elicitors can help increase crop yields, protect plants from pests, and boost the levels of secondary metabolites in plants. For example, an elicitor called chitosan breaks down into glucosamine when applied to plants. Glucosamine continues to break down until it becomes glucose (Fatima et al., 2021). Glucose acts as a primary metabolite and supports plant cell metabolism; therefore, the crop yields of plants treated with chitosan tend to be better in both quality and quantity than those of plants without chitosan.

Adding elicitors cannot be done without specific rules. If the amount of elicitor exceeds the maximum limit, plants might wilt or even die. However, if the elicitor level is too low, there will be no significant effect on the plants. Therefore, elicitors need to be added exactly at their optimum level. The optimum level of an elicitor can vary depending on the plant species. Additionally, the method of elicitor application is important. There are several methods, including spraying elicitors on the leaves and soaking the roots in nutrient solutions mixed with elicitors. The right combination of these factors can effectively boost crop yields.

References

Badan Pusat Statistik. (2024).  Ringkasan Eksekutif: Luas Panen dan Produksi Padi di Indonesia 2023 (Angka Tetap). Badan Pusat Statistik: Jakarta.

Fatima, E. A., Moha, T., Said, W., Abdelilah, M., & Mohammed, R. (2021). Use of Metabolomics Data Analysis to Identify Fruit Quality Markers Enhanced by the Application of an Aminopolysaccharide. RSC Advance, 11(56), 35514-35524. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D1RA05865G.

infarm. (2020). Hidroponik dari Rumah.