Perception of Prosocial Behavior in Accountability of Village Fund Management in Indonesia: the Moderating Role of Internal Control and Leadership

Purpose: This paper will talk about how the village's money is handled and how to help other people. During this investigation, topics like accountability and leadership in managing village finances, as well as internal control, will be broken down and looked at in depth. An investigation was done in the Indonesian villages out in the countryside.   Theoretical framework: the paper discusses hypotheses related to prosocial behavior which has an impact on accountability in village government in Indonesia with a moderating effect on internal control and leadership.   Design/methodology/approach: Random selection was used to select Indonesian village officials who took part in this study. There are a total of 689 village officials who participated as respondents to this study.   Findings: The results of this study show that prosocial behavior and accountability can be controlled by leadership traits and internal control mechanisms. According to what the researchers found, these factors need to be used to change the other types of responsibility variables. Internal control has a strong and negative effect on both helping others and being accountable for how village money is spent. On the other hand, leadership has a strong and positive effect on both of these criteria. Internal control also has a big and important effect on who is responsible for how village money is spent. Strong leadership can make a big difference in both of these areas.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The implication is, by looking at the prosocial behavior that occurs within village officials, the government is expected to compile implementing regulations and policies as technical guidelines as a reference for improving internal control and also leadership so as to further increase accountability.   Originality/value: This study is among the first to test empirically the full moderating effect of leadership and internal control on the relationship between prosocial behavior and accountability in managing village funds in Indonesia

Brief review: climate change and its impact on mango pests and diseases

Climate change is negatively impacting the agricultural sector. This review focuses on the effects of climate change on mango pests and diseases, the unknown aspects of this problem, and possible mitigation measures. In addition, mango is susceptible to several pests and diseases infestation at all its stage of life. The major abiotic factors associated with climate change that affect mango pests and diseases include changes in precipitation, wind variability, increased temperature, increases in atmospheric CO2, and changes in light intensity. These factors affect mango pests and diseases in various dimensions in one way or another, including increased activity, growth, development, reproduction, distribution, and migration. These abiotic factors also influence plant growth, development, and reproduction. These interacting factors are complex, and further studies are needed to obtain relevant data to understand the relationships between these factors and pests occurrence. Developing predictive models from these data and intercropping with aromatic plants will be useful for strategies to mitigate the devastating effects of pests and diseases occurrence on mango crops and food securit

Chemical and biological characteristics of organic amendments produced from selected agro-wastes with potential for sustaining soil health: a laboratory assessment

Sustaining soil health cannot be divorced from sustainable crop production. Organic, or natural, farming is being promoted as a good sustainable agriculture practice. One aspect of organic farming that could significantly enhance and sustain soil health, soil quality, and crop productivity is the use of high-quality soil conditioners or organic amendments produced from agro-wastes. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the chemical and biological properties of selected agrowastes with potential for use as organic amendments in sustaining soil health. Standard procedures were used to produce and characterize the soil conditioners, namely fermented plant juice (FPJ), fermented fruit juice (FFJ), palm kernel shell (PKS) biochar, and kitchen waste (KW) compost. The fermented juices (FPJ and FFJ), PKS biochar, and KW compost exhibited chemical and biological properties with good potential as soil conditioners or organic amendments to sustain soil health. The fermented juices contained important microbes that can solubilize P and K in soil for crop use. The high pH and C content of the biochar and compost and the high cation exchange capacity of the biochar are good indicators of the potential of these materials to sustain soil health in terms of the liming effect of acid soils, nutrient and water retention, nutrient reserves, and a suitable habitat for microbial life. Moreover, the organic amendments contain reasonable amounts of macro- and micro-nutrients, which could be released to increase soil fertility. Despite these potential benefits, field application of these organic amendments is necessary to evaluate their effects on soil health and crop production in both the short and long ter

Phosphorus sorption following the application of charcoal and sago (metroxylon sagu) bark ash to acid soils

Acidic cations such as Al, Fe, and Mn tend to fix P in soils, and this reaction make P unavailable for plant uptake. Several conventional strategies for farmers had been proposed to ameliorate Al toxicity either via liming or continuous P fertilization. However, these approaches are not only expensive but are also environmental unfriendly. Thus, a sorption study was carried out using charcoal and sago bark ash as soil amendments to determine their effects on P sorption characteristics of low pH soils. Phosphorus sorption determination was based on standard procedures and the P adsorption data for the samples tested in this study were fitted to the Langmuir equation. The results suggest that the combined use of charcoal and sago bark ash decreased P adsorption and increased P desorption relative to the untreated soils. Organic matter in the charcoal reduced P sorption by providing more negatively charged surfaces, thus increasing anion repulsion. Apart from increasing the amount of P adsorbed in the soil, the use of the sago bark ash increased the amount of P desorbed because the primary reaction between the sago bark ash and soils is an acid neutralization reaction. These improvements do not only reduce P fixation in acid soils but they also promote the effective utilization of nutrients via the timely release of nutrients for maximum crop production. In conclusion, the incorporation of charcoal and sago bark ash to the soil had a positive effect on replenishing the soil solution’s P. The organic matter of the charcoal reduces P sorption capacity by blocking P binding sites, increasing the negative electric potential in the plane of adsorption, causing steric hindrance on the mineral surfaces and decreasing goethite and hematite-specific surface areas. However, there is a need for the inclusion of more soil chemical, physical, and mineralogical properties in predicting soil P sorption to enhance the reliability of the findings

Water Table Fluctuation and Methane Emission in Pineapples (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) Cultivated on a Tropical Peatland

Inappropriate drainage and agricultural development on tropical peatland may lead to an increase in methane (CH₄) emission, thus expediting the rate of global warming and climate change. It was hypothesized that water table fluctuation affects CH₄ emission in pineapple cultivation on tropical peat soils. The objectives of this study were to: (i) quantify CH₄ emission from a tropical peat soil cultivated with pineapple and (ii) determine the effects of water table depth on CH₄ emission from a peat soil under simulated water table fluctuation. Soil CH₄ emissions from an open field pineapple cultivation system and field lysimeters were determined using the closed chamber method. High-density polyethylene field lysimeters were set up to simulate the natural condition of cultivated drained peat soils under different water table fluctuations. The soil CH₄ flux was measured at five-time intervals to obtain a 24 h CH₄ emission in the dry and wet seasons during low- and high-water tables. Soil CH₄ emissions from open field pineapple cultivation were significantly lower compared with field lysimeters under simulated water table fluctuation. Soil CH₄ emissions throughout the dry and wet seasons irrespective of water table fluctuation were not affected by soil temperature but emissions were influenced by the balance between methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms controlling CH₄ production and consumption, CH₄ transportation through molecular diffusion via peat pore spaces, and non-microbial CH₄ production in peat soils. Findings from the study suggest that water table fluctuation at the soil–water interface relatively controls the soil CH₄ emission from lysimeters under simulated low- and high-water table fluctuation. The findings of this study provide an understanding of the effects of water table fluctuation on CH₄ emission in a tropical peatland cultivated with pineapple

Effects of Organic Amendments Produced from Agro-Wastes on Sandy Soil Properties and Black Pepper Morpho-Physiology and Yield

Sandy textured soil infertility poses a problem for sustainable crop cultivation. This problem is usually dealt with by the addition of chemical fertilizers, which are expensive and can cause serious environmental issues if not managed well. A better alternative to improve and manage sandy soil infertility is the use of organic amendments produced from agro-wastes. This two (2)- year field study was conducted in a sandy-textured soil grown with black pepper to evaluate mainly the effects of chemical fertilizer, fermented plant and fruit juices, compost, and biochar on soil properties and morpho-physiological characteristics and yield of black pepper. Generally, the results indicated that the combination of fermented fruit juice, compost, and biochar was comparable to and in some cases better than chemical fertilizer in terms of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as well as crop performance. These findings were even more pronounced in the second year of measurements. There were strong positive relationships between soil N and pepper leaf chlorophyll content and between soil microbes and soil respiration. The findings showed that these soil amendments produced from agro-wastes are a good alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers on sandy soils to improve soil fertility and productivity and the yield of black pepper sustainably

Improving Selected Chemical Properties of a Paddy Soil in Sabah Amended with Calcium Silicate: A Laboratory Incubation Study

In Malaysia, the main constraints of rice yield and productivity are infertile soils and poor management practices because these soils are characterized by low pH, low nutrient availability, low organic matter, and high exchangeable Al and Fe ions, due to high rainfall and hot temperatures. Thus, an incubation study was conducted to determine the optimum amount of calcium silicate (HmbG brand) to improve the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable Al, available P, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a paddy soil in Sabah, Malaysia. The Kelawat series (Typic Dystrudept) soil was incubated with calcium silicate at the application rates of 0 (T1), 1 (T2), 2 (T3), and 3 t ha̵¹ (T4) using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) in triplicates for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. The calcium silicate used significantly improved soil pH because of the release of SiO4 ⁴⁻ and Ca²⁺ ions, which neutralized and immobilized H⁺ ions. Furthermore, the neutralizing effects of the amendment impeded Al hydrolysis by up to 57.4% and this resulted in an increase in the available P in the soil by 31.26% to 50.64%. The increased availability of P in the soil was also due to the high affinity of SiO4 ⁴⁻ to desorb P from soil minerals and it is believed that SiO4 ⁴⁻ can temporarily adsorb exchangeable base cations such as K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Na⁺. Moreover, applying calcium silicate at 3 t ha¹ improved soil CEC by up to 54.84% compared to that of untreated soils (T1) because of increased pH and the number of negatively charged sites. The most suitable application rate of the calcium silicate was found to be 3 t ha⁻¹ (T4). These findings suggest that calcium silicate can improve soil productivity and agronomic efficiency in rice farming. Greenhouse and field trials are necessary to ascertain the effects of the recommended treatments of this incubation study on soil productivity, rice growth, and yield

Turnaround maintenance workers cultural values and conflict management style preference: Moderating role of temperament

The general argument is that individuals choose those conflict styles that fit their cultural values. The concept of culture fit elucidates why organizational practices are effective with regards to employees work-related performance if these practices fit the cultural values of the workforce. Mismatch of organizational practices with employees’ cultural values may result in dissatisfaction and demotivation to perform well. This present study determined the link between plant turnaround maintenance (TAM) workers culture values, and their preference for a specific method for managing conflict. The research methodology is based on questionnaire survey focusing on plant TAM employees during execution phase. Data was gathered from TAM workers in 13 petrochemical plants in east and west Malaysia. Stated hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS software. Results shows all five cultural dimensions positively predicted integrating, obliging, compromising and avoiding, and negatively predicted dominating conflict management styles. The study concludes that employees will generally favor conflict styles that are consistent with their cultural values. Compared to previous findings, the current results revealed both culture and temperament as predictors of conflict management styles, providing a comprehensive evidence of the predictors of conflict management style preference

Turnaround maintenance workers cultural values and conflict management style preference: Moderating role of temperament

The general argument is that individuals choose those conflict styles that fit their cultural values. The concept of culture fit elucidates why organizational practices are effective with regards to employees work-related performance if these practices fit the cultural values of the workforce. Mismatch of organizational practices with employees’ cultural values may result in dissatisfaction and demotivation to perform well. This present study determined the link between plant turnaround maintenance (TAM) workers culture values, and their preference for a specific method for managing conflict. The research methodology is based on questionnaire survey focusing on plant TAM employees during execution phase. Data was gathered from TAM workers in 13 petrochemical plants in east and west Malaysia. Stated hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS software. Results shows all five cultural dimensions positively predicted integrating, obliging, compromising and avoiding, and negatively predicted dominating conflict management styles. The study concludes that employees will generally favor conflict styles that are consistent with their cultural values. Compared to previous findings, the current results revealed both culture and temperament as predictors of conflict management styles, providing a comprehensive evidence of the predictors of conflict management style preference