Oil palm intercropping system: A potential nature-based solution to improve soil biology activities in North Sumatra plantation, Indonesia

Aims@#Intercropping system in oil palm plantation is recognized as one of a nature-based solution as well as a promising sustainable practice. This study aimed to observe the advantages of existing intercropping system in one of North Sumatra’s oil palm plantation. It is achieved by analyzing the population of soil bacteria and fungi in oil palm intercropping fields with sorghum and cassava, compared with the non-intercropping field that using Mucuna bracteata (MB) as a common legume cover crop in oil palm plantations.@*Methodology and results@#Soil samples were collected from the weeded circle and windrow area (the area between palms within the row). The results showed that the highest and the lowest soil bacteria populations were in sorghum (1.7 ± 1.4 × 108 CFU/g) and MB (1.7 ± 0.4 × 107 CFU/g), while the highest and the lowest soil fungi populations were in sorghum (4.3 ± 2.9 × 106 CFU/g) and cassava (2.1 ± 0.8 × 106 CFU/g).@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The intercropping system in this study showed a significant difference in the bacteria population, while the fungi population had no difference compared to the non-intercropping system. The bacterial and fungi population results also indicate that the intercropping system potentially enhances the soil's biological activity as an indicator of improved soil health. It is also followed by a slightly higher soil organic carbon value in intercropping system. This research suggests that further studies should be done to identify specific soil functional microbes (nutrients fixers and solubilizers). The future research will be used as a reference for promising biofertilizer agents in supporting sustainable crop production.

Antimicrobial and physicochemical characterization of Lactobacillus brevis biofilms as biopreservative agents

Aims@#Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) biofilms constitute one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in the field of food biopreservatives and can be employed to prevent foodborne disease. The purposes of this study were to investigate the efficacy of inhibitory LAB biofilms against foodborne pathogens and evaluate their tolerance to acidic pH and bile salts, as well as their physicochemical properties.@*Methodology and results@#Four strains of Lactobacillus brevis biofilms isolated from kimchi showed antipathogenic activity to the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus FNCC 0049 and Escherichia coli FNCC 0091. These biofilms were also tolerant to pH 2.5, 0.3% bile salt and strong adhesion. Two of the four L. brevis biofilms (L. brevis biofilm KA2 and KB1) produced the highest inhibitory activity against both pathogenic bacterial indicators, tolerance to acidic pH and bile salts, and the strongest adhesion. In addition, based on Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersion X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis, both biofilm strains had a smooth surface texture; the cell morphology was rod-shaped and consisted of several elements such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, which was built up of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The presence of EPS as a constituent of LAB biofilms influenced their survival abilities in an acidic pH and bile salt environment. As a result, the characteristics of L. brevis biofilm KA2 and KB1 made them excellent candidates for use as antimicrobial packaging systems in food biopreservative applications.