Coco Peat tested to Plant Vegetables

Coco powder which in international trade is called coco peat began to be tested as a horticultural growing media in the Riau Islands Indonesian, on Friday (12/10/2012). The soil in the Riau Islands containing bauxite, granite, sand and tin proved to be suitable to use coco peat for horticultural plant growth performance support.

Information received by Reuters late on Friday, said, in addition to its function as a store of water, coco peat also has nutrients that plants need. Tests monitored directly principal engineer at the Center for Land Resources Technology, and Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Dr Ir Agus Kristijono MSc in Tanjungpinang.

Former Director of the Center for the Assessment and Application of Technology of Land Resources and Regions - BPPT is in Tanjungpinang in order to disseminate the technology BiTumMan (Seed Growing Independent) for post-mining land revegetation activities. After delivering a lecture on the use of technology BiTumMan, media grow seed crops that use raw materials engineered coco peat, peat, mycorrhizal fungi arbuskular (FMA), and bacteria rizosfir, Agus took time to view the location of the plantation of horticulture crops in Toapaya, South Toapaya District - District Bintan.

According to the alumni of Texas A & M University, United States, coco peat possesses easy to absorb and store water. This material has pores that facilitate the exchange of air and sunlight. "By using coco peat, the intensity was watering the plants can be reduced," he said.

Based on the results of testing both functional testing in the greenhouse, simulated critical areas, as well as field tests, coco peat has proven reliable performance as an alternative method to overcome the shortage of water in plants. "Research on coco peat is already in BPPT," he said.