Asian Journal of Agriculture
Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026)

Plant-based elicitor improves nutrient efficiency and sustains rice yield under reduced fertilizer in a one-season field study

HARWANTO HARWANTO (Department of Agriculture, Politeknik Pembangunan Pertanian Malang. Jl. Dr. Cipto No. 144a, Lawang, Malang 65215, East Java, Indonesia)
ENY WAHYUNING PURWANTI (Department of Agriculture, Politeknik Pembangunan Pertanian Malang. Jl. Dr. Cipto No. 144a, Lawang, Malang 65215, East Java, Indonesia)
JOKO GAGUNG SUNARYONO (Department of Animal Husbandry, Politeknik Pembangunan Pertanian Malang. Jl. Dr. Cipto No. 144a, Lawang, Malang 65215, East Java, Indonesia)
NIKEN RANI WANDANSARI (Department of Agriculture, Politeknik Pembangunan Pertanian Malang. Jl. Dr. Cipto No. 144a, Lawang, Malang 65215, East Java, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
04 Jul 2026

Abstract

Abstract. Harwanto, Purwanti EW, Sunaryono JG, Wandansari NR. 2026. Plant-based elicitor improves nutrient efficiency and sustains rice yield under reduced fertilizer in a one-season field study. Asian J Agric 10 (1): g100179. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjagric/g100179. Excessive dependence on chemical fertilizers raises environmental concerns and reduces long-term soil fertility. A plant-based elicitor containing bioactive compounds (flavonoids, phenols, tannins) and phytohormones (IAA, cytokinins, gibberellins) such as Biosaka, has been promising elicitors to enhance nutrient efficiency and crop resilience. A field experiment was conducted in East Java, Indonesia, using a randomized block design with five treatments: 100% inorganic fertilizer (control), 100% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka, 75% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka, 50% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka, and 25% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka. Each treatment was replicated four times. Variables measured included plant growth, yield components, straw nutrient content (N, P, K), and soil chemical properties (pH, organic C, available N, P, K). The combination of 50% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka maintained straw nitrogen comparable to full fertilizer and resulted in higher straw phosphorus content. The combination of 100% inorganic fertilizer + Biosaka produced the highest straw Kalium (0.53%) and milled rice weight (454.41 g 2 m-2). Biosaka treatments were associated with higher soil pH (6.30), organic carbon (0.99%), and available N and K compared to non-Biosaka treatments. Biosaka supplements have not compensated for the nutrient deficiency in the treatments with excessive fertilizer reduction (≤25%). It resulted in lower nutrient content and reduced milled rice weight (265.09 g 2 m-2). This study provides novel evidence that integrating Biosaka treatment with 50% inorganic fertilizer can sustain rice yield equivalently to the conventional 100% inorganic fertilizer application.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

aja

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry

Description

Aims and Scope Asian Journal of Agriculture encourages submission of manuscripts dealing with all aspects to optimizing the quality and quantity of both plant and animal yield and final products, including agricultural economics and management, agricultural engineering and mechanization, agronomy ...