Effect of different feed nitrogen on nutrient flow, performance, and productivity in the minapadi system

Abstract

Cultivation with the minapadi method can increase the availability of nutrients and soil organic matter from the decomposition of feed residues and weeds. This system implements environmentally friendly cultivation and creates a sustainable ecosystem because rice plants use fish waste as a source of nutrients, and fish use weeds and pests in rice as a food source. This study aims to find the best feed formula in the minapadi system based on differences in nitrogen content and to analyze the effect of nitrogen from the artificial feed given on nitrogen flow, performance, and productivity in the minapadi system. Using a randomized block design method with four treatments of different feed doses repeated three times to obtain twelve experimental plot units, feed production using local raw materials that are cheap and easy to obtain, soil quality, water, and growth performance are the parameters observed. The results showed that the soil and water quality at the study site was quite good, so the growth performance of rice plants and fish was also good. The treatment of the feed doses given showed that the feed with the highest nitrogen content, namely 9%, gave the best growth performance for rice plants, while 7% nitrogen content gave the best growth for tilapia. The excessive levels of protein are not suitable for fish. However, they are handy for rice plants in the Minapadi system because nutrients that dissolve in water, nutrients from fish feces and urine, and nutrients that are sedimentation on the soil surface, are utilized by rice plants as a nutrient source.