EFFECT OF POPULATION DENSITY AND WATER SUBSTRATE INTERFACE OF GROWTH AND YIELD RED LETTUCE

Abstract

One of the green leafy vegetable plants that have good value and content for consumers is lettuce. Red lettuce (Lactuca sativa Var. Red rapids) is a type of leaf lettuce, this type of lettuce has leaves that are red, wide, thin, and clustered and look curly. Efforts to get maximum crop yields are by regulating plant populations so that they are efficient. This study aims to determine the effect of population and water level on the growth and yield of red lettuce. The method used in this study was a factorial randomized block design. The main factor was the population (P), which consisted of 3 treatments, namely 1 plant/pot (P1), 2 plants/pot (P2,) and 3 plants/pot (P3). The second factor was the water substrate interface (WSI), which consisted of 3 treatments, namely 1 cm (WSI1), 2 cm (WSI2), and 6 cm (WSI3). The results showed that red lettuce gave a different response to each population. (P2) produces the highest average number of plant leaves, this shows that plants with a population of 2 plants/pot are quite efficient in utilizing space so that plants grow well, characterized by a higher number and leaf area. The water interface contact area with a depth of 6 cm produces a root length value that is smaller than 1 cm and 3 cm. In a state of water saturation, roots cannot develop properly so that root growth becomes stunted.