Effect of shade tree on nutrient concentration in coffee (Coffea arabica L.) leaves

Abstract

Abstract Leaf tissue analysis is a measurement of the levels of elements contained in plant leaves. In this case, the leaves can describe the amount of absorption of a nutrient because most of the assimilation results are collected in them. The nutrients that can be absorbed by plant roots are the amount of nutrients available in the soil. The use of shade trees with different types of sunlight absorption intensity causes the conditions for leaf nutrient absorption in plants to also vary. This research was needed to determine the effect of shade type on the nutrient concentration of nitrogen, (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the leaves of Arabica coffee plants. This research was carried out at the Koperasi Ribang Gayo Musara, Pantan Musara Village, Pegasing Subdistrict, Central Aceh District, Aceh, and the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Agency (BSIP) Aceh. This research used a non-factorial Randomized Block Design with five treatments where each treatment 4 replications. Treatments consisted of types of shade plants on coffee plants, namely, control/no shade, small lamtoro shade (Leucaena leucocephala ssp. leucocephala), big lamtoro shade (Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata), banana shade (Musa paradisiaca L.), avocado shade (Persea americana Mill.). The results showed that shade tree type significantly affect potassium (K) nutrient levels in coffee plant leaves. Coffee plant shaded by big lamtoro had better N, P and K nutrient levels compared to small lamtoro, banana, avocado, and control.