THE APPLICATION OF VARIOUS DOSES OF NPK FERTILIZER ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF WATER SPINACH AND SPINACH PLANTS ON FLOATING AGRICULTURE SYSTEM

Abstract

The research was conducted to determine the effect of applying various doses of NPK fertilizer on growth and production of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir) and spinach (Amaranthus sp.) plants on a floating cultivation system. The research was carried out in a pond located within the Universitas Sriwijaya Indralaya campus, while analysis activities were carried out at the Plant Physiology Laboratory, Universitas Sriwijaya. The study was conducted from June to August 2021 using a factorial randomized block design consisting of 8 treatments and 3 replicates with 3 plants per unit. The details of the treatment on water spinach were as follows: P0 = Control (without NPK), P1 = 0.5 NPK / polybag, P2 = 1 NPK / polybag, and P3 = 1.5 NPK / polybag. While for spinach, the treatments consisted of: P0 = Control (without NPK fertilizer), P1 = 3.75 g NPK fertilizer, P2 = 7.50 g NPK fertilizer and P3 = 15.0 g NPK fertilizer. Analysis of variance and 5 % level of Least Significance Difference test were used for data analysis. Parameters observed were plant height, number of leaves, fresh weight of roots and shoots, root length, leaf area, and leaf greenness. The results showed that the application of NPK increased the growth of water spinach on the parameters of plant height, number of leaves, leaf greenness, shoot fresh weight and root length compared to spinach plants.

Keywords

• spinach
• water spinach
• npk
• floating agriculture