Effects of Liquid Organic and NPK Fertilizers on the Nutrient composition of Grass Jelly (Premna oblongifolia Merr) in Tropical Peat Soil

Abstract

Peat soil is deficient in nutrients and agricultural development in this type of low in fertility soil is very difficult. Grass jelly (Premna oblongifolia) is a dark green shrub-like medicinal plant that has been widely used for its nutritional and medicinal properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of foliar application of organic fertilizers and NPK on the growth, nutrient absorption, and flavonoid content of grass jelly plants grown in peat soil. The study was carried out in a completely randomized factorial design with two factors including liquid organic fertilizer and NPK inorganic fertilizers. Three doses of liquid organic fertilizer consisting of P0 (without liquid organic fertilizer), P1 (Agrobost), and P2 (Nasa), and three levels of NPK fertilizer consisting of N0 (0g NPK polybag-1), N1 (1 g NPK polybag-1), and N2 (2 g NPK polybag-1). The results of the study revealed a nonsignificant interaction between liquid organic fertilizer and NPK fertilizer in terms of leaf growth, leaf area, fresh weight, and flavonoid of grass jelly plant growth. Further, in the case of plant nutrient contents, combined application of Nasa liquid organic fertilizer and 2 g polybag-1 NPK fertilizer tends to increase the nutrient content of N, P, and K and have the highest impact as compared to other treatments. The results of the study can be concluded that administration of liquid organic fertilizer and NPK did not affect the plant growth characteristics of grass jelly plants while in the case of nutrient content except flavonoids the level of N, P, and K of plant leaves increased.