Growth Response and Antibacterial Activity Test of Sintrong Plant (Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore) on different Growth Media and Shade

Abstract

This study investigated the growth response and antibacterial activity of sintrong plants (Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore) on different growth media and shade to support organic functional food. The research was conducted at the Field Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture, Halu Oleo University using a two-factorial Randomized Group Design (RAK). Variations of planting media used were soil without fertilizer, a mixture of soil and cow manure in a ratio of 1:1, and a mixture of soil and cow manure in a ratio of 1:2. The variations of shade used were no shade, 25% paranet shade, and 50% paranet shade. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the Delusion method. Growth data and antibacterial activity were analyzed through Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with SPSS application and continued with Duncan test at 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). The results showed that planting media and shade had a significant effect on the growth of sintrong plant height. The greatest growth occurred in a mixture of soil and manure 1:1 in 25% shade (P1N1), while the lowest growth occurred in a mixture of manure-soil 1:2 without shade (P2N0). Antibacterial activity testing showed a significant effect of various growing media and shade treatments. The highest antibacterial activity was found in sintrong plant extract grown without manure at 50% shade (P0N2), with an inhibition zone of 16.6 mm for Escherichia coli bacteria (gram negative) and 13.2 mm for Staphylococcus bacteria (gram positive). The lowest inhibition zone occurred in sintrong plants grown on 1:2 manure-soil mixture without shade (P2N0) with an inhibition zone of 8.0 mm for Staphylococcus aureus bacteria