THE EFFECT OF COMPOST COMBINED WITH PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING BACTERIA AND NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA FOR INCREASING THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF CHILI PLANTS

Abstract

The effect of compost combined with phosphate solubilizing bacteria and nitrogen-fixing bacteria on chili plants has been investigated in an experiment using polybag. This research aims to examine the roles of phosphate solubilizing bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and compost in increasing the growth and yield of chili plants. This research used a randomized block design with a two-factor factorial design consisting of R0: without Microbes, R1: Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria (NFB), R2: Phosphate solubilizing bacteria + nitrogen-fixing bacteria (PSB + NFB). The second factor was a dose of organic fertilizer (compost), consisting of 4 dose levels, i.e.: P0: Control (Urea, SP-36, KCl), P1: 15 t ha-1 compost, P2: 20 t ha-1 compost, P3: 25 t ha-1 compost. The research results showed that the use of compost at a dose of 20 t ha-1 added by PSB and NFB significantly increased the growth (number of branches, number of leaves, leaf area, chlorophyll content, plant dry weight) and yield (number of fruits, weight of fruits) of chili plants. The average number of chili fruits increased from 37 fruits per plant to 78 fruits per plant.

Keywords

• Compost
• phosphate solubilizing bacteria
• nitrogen-fixing bacteria
• chili