BRIN Develops Adaptive Shallot Technology for Coastal Farming Systems

RRI.CO.ID, Batu - Indonesia is redirecting its agricultural focus toward coastal territories as a strategic frontier to bolster national food security, deploying advanced botanical seed technologies to bypass severe soil degradation and climate-induced salinity risks.

During a specialized workshop held in Batu, East Java, from June 9 to 11, 2026, state researchers introduced the True Shallot Seed (TSS) technology, a botanical seed innovation engineered to build a healthier, more cost-efficient, and climate-adaptive cultivation network. The initiative targets coastal farming obstacles such as high salinity, resource scarcity, and crop-damaging weather shifts.

Principal Researcher at the Food Crops Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Arlyna Budi Pustika, noted that the botanical method completely alters conventional supply chain logistics.

"In addition to reducing the risk of disease spread through planting materials, TSS also facilitates seed distribution and opens up opportunities for developing botanical seed-based production systems," said Arlyna, at a workshop held in Batu City, June 9–11, 2026, as quoted on BRIN's official website.

The strategic research push comes at a time when conventional shallot crops face intense pressure from biological hazards. Senior Researcher at BRIN’s Horticulture Research Center, Rini Murtiningsih, explained that thrips, armyworms, and onion maggots remain dominant threats across domestic farms.

To systematically neutralize these pests, researchers are refining Integrated Pest Management (IPM) models that merge ecological monitoring with modern hardware adaptations.

"The Integrated Pest Management approach continues to be developed through a combination of healthy plant cultivation, utilization of natural enemies, routine agro-ecosystem monitoring, and capacity building for farmers as the primary actors in pest control," Rini explained.

Field trials have verified that pairing structural netting houses with advanced drip irrigation lines successfully isolates crops from pest outbreaks while maintaining a steady shallot yield of 12 to 14 tons per hectare.

Furthermore, the drip irrigation network optimizes resource consumption, slashing fertilizer waste by roughly 30 percent compared to traditional open-field methods. In the Leces District of Probolinggo Regency, local farmers adopting this combined netting framework achieved an immediate economic advantage, lowering their operational chemical pesticide costs by 30 percent to 70 percent.

The underlying research program operates under a bilateral framework funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The initiative unites BRIN, the Ministry of Agriculture's Agency for Agricultural Assembly and Modernization, IPB University, and Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

ACIAR Country Manager for Indonesia, Teddy Kristedi, highlighted the historical endurance of the agricultural partnership, noting that the cooperative link has been active since 1982.

"Indonesia is a strategic partner in developing agricultural innovation in the Indo-Pacific region. Through research, capacity building, and knowledge exchange, we aim to strengthen institutional capabilities while generating solutions that can be widely implemented," said Teddy.

From a macroeconomic perspective, shallots and chilies function as highly volatile commodities that directly influence national inflation rates and domestic market stability.

Director of Vegetables and Medicinal Plants at the Ministry of Agriculture, Muhammad Agung Sunusi, said that the crop category remains vulnerable to supply chain gaps, high operational overheads, and post-harvest spoilage.

"To address these challenges, an innovation-based approach is needed through the use of superior varieties, modern cultivation technologies, strengthening farmer institutions, and developing area-based production systems," he explained.***