Pestisida Nabati: Prospek Pengendali Hama Ramah Lingkungan

Abstrak. Hama tanaman mengancam stabilitas produksi pertanian akibat kehilangan hasil dan penurunan produktivitas tanaman. Penurunannya berkisar antara 20-95%, bahkan bisa menyebabkan gagal panen atau puso pada serangan yang masif. Keberadaan hama dan penyakit dalam budidaya tanaman harus disikapi dengan bijaksana. Organisme pengganggu tanaman (OPT) dikendalikan secara terpadu mengikuti konsep pengendalian hama terpadu (PHT). Penggunaan pestisida kimiawi merupakan pilihan terakhir dengan memperhatikan kondisi ambang ekonomi di lapangan. Tulisan ini bertujuan menginformasikan penggunaan bahan tumbuhan sebagai pestisida nabati dalam pengendalian hama pada budidaya tanaman pertanian, khususnya tanaman pangan. Indonesia memiliki berbagai tumbuhan sebagai sumberdaya hayati bahan pengendali hama, baik berupa biji, daun, akar, dan batang. Bahan baku pestisida nabati yang tersedia melimpah di agroekologi lahan sawah tadah hujan adalah daun/biji mimba, biji mahoni, gulma babandotan (Ageratum zonycoides). Bahan-bahan tersebut dapat diekstrak dan dicampur, serta ditambahkan asap cair (produk samping proses pirolisis arang hayati dari limbah pertanian) dan urin sapi. Hasil penelitian yang telah dilakukan Balingtan memperlihatkan bahwa pemberian insektisida nabati meningkatkan hasil gabah kering panen lebih tinggi berturut-turut sebesar 10,8%; 24,8%; dan 48,7% untuk varietas Mekongga, Situ Bagendit, dan Ciherang, dibandingkan tanpa insektisida nabati. Penambahan urin sapi selain sebagai bahan pengendali hama juga berperan dalam memperbaiki ketersediaan hara terutama nitrogen. Abtract. Plant pest threatens the stability of agricultural production due to the yield loss and the decreasing crops productivity. The loss could reach 20-95% or even totally loss when it is massivaly attacked. The existence of pest dan desease on plant cultivation has to be addressed wisely. Plant-disturbing organism is controlled in an integrated way by following the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The use of chemical pesticide is the last option with consideration of the economic threshold condition at the field. The objective of this paper is to inform the use of plant as the bassic matterial of botanical insecticide in controling agricultural-plant cultivation, especially for food crop. Indonesia has various resources of plants as biologically pests controller, in the form of seeds, leaves, roots and stems. Raw materials of the botanical insecticide are abundantly available in rainfed rice agroecology, i.e.neem leaves / seeds, mahogany seeds, and ageratum (Ageratum zonycoides) Those materials are extracted and mixed, then is added with the liquid smoke (side product of pyrolysis process of biocharcoal from agricultural waste) and cow urine. The research that was conducted by Indonesian of Agricultural Environment Research Institute shows that the application of botanical insecticide produced higher dried harvesting grain consecutively by 10.8%; 24.8%; and 48.% for Mekongga, Situ Bagendid, and Ciherang variety, compare to those without botanical insecticide. The addition of cow urine also improves the nutrient availability, especially for the nitrogen content