Pengaruh Metode Pemupukan dan Berbagai Jenis Mulsa terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Tanaman Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) dengan Irigasi Tetes

Abstract

Stevia is widely used for a natural sweetener that can be 300 times more powerful than the sucrose. Stevia is a kind of plant that is very sensitive to water and nutrition stress. Precision agriculture creates improvement in fertilizing methods along with irrigation water called fertigation. Fertigation using drip irrigation can increase the efficiency in fertilization uses in accordance with application time and plant needs. Aside from nutrition needs, stevia is also sensitive to environmental change, especially temperatur and humidity, because stevia needs environmental manipulation like using mulches to give the best environment for stevia to grow. This study wants to find the best fertilizing method and kind of mulches for better growth and yield of stevia. The research was conducted near October-February in PT. Daya Santosa Rekayasa Kec. Karangploso Kab. Malang at an altitude ±750 MAMSL. The research uses Split Plot Design using the RBSL model with two factors and four replications. The first factor which is also used for the main plot is fertilizing methods using fertigation (A1) and conventional method (A2). Second factors alsod use as the subplot are black white plastic mulch (U1), rice straw mulch (U2), and without mulch (U3). Nondestructive variable was the height of the plant and the number of leaves. Destructive variables were observed in harvest time such as fresh weight of plant, fresh weight of yield, dry yield, root length, chlorophyll amount, and sucrose rate. The data will be tested using ANOVA and T-Test, if there is a significant difference, then will be processed again using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The result showed that there is no significant interaction between the fertilizing methods and types of mulches in stevia. Fertigation and conventional methods give no significant difference in growth or yield stevia but fertigation gives better results in every variable. Types of mulches show that black white plastic mulches give the best impact to height of the plant, number of leaves, fresh weight of plant, fresh weight of yield, dry yield, root length, and chlorophyll amount with fresh yield 11,4 gr each plant and also dry yield 2,27 gr