RESPON PEMBERIAN POC BATANG PISANG DAN PUPUK NPK PHONSKA TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN PRODUKSI CABAI MERAH (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

Red chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important vegetable commodities in Indonesia due toits high consumption by the public. The low production ofred chili in Riau Province is caused by several factors, including high pest attack rates, low soil fertility, and suboptimal cultivation and maintenance techniques, such as improper use of fertilizers and ineffective pest and disease control, which affect both the quality and quantity of production.Efforts to overcome the challenges in red chili cultivation, particularly related to low soil fertility, include maintaining soil fertility through the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers. The organic fertilizer used in this study is liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) made from banana stems, and the inorganic fertilizer used is NPK Phonska. The objective of this study is to determine the effect and identify the best interaction between the application doses of banana stem LOF and NPK Phonska on the growth and yield of red chili.This research was conducted at the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Lancang Kuning University, located on Yos Sudarso Street, Km. 8, Rumbai, Pekanbaru. The site has flat topography, an altitude of 16 meters above sea level, and Yellow Red Podzolic (PMK) soil type. The study was conducted from July to October 2024.The research was carried out experimentally using a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of two factors. The first factor was the application of banana stem LOF (P) with 3 levels of treatment, and the second factor was the application of NPK Phonska (N) also with 3 levels, resulting in 9 treatment combinations. Each treatment was repeated 3 times, producing 27 experimental plots. Each plot contained 4 plants, totaling 108 plants.Based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the application of banana stem LOF and NPK Phonska had a significant effect on all observed parameters, including stem diameter, number of productive branches, fruit weight, and number of fruits per plant, but had no significant effect on plant height. Further testing showed that the effects of the banana stem LOF and NPK Phonska treatments were significantly different across all treatments.The lowest results were observed in treatments P0N0 (no banana stem LOF and no NPK Phonska) and P1N0 (250 ml/L banana stem LOF and no NPK Phonska). The highest results were found in treatment P2N2 (500 ml/L banana stem LOF and 12 g/plant NPK Phonska).