Increasing Fe Content in Rice Plants with the Application Liquid Fertilizer of Moringa oleifera and Golden Snail

Abstract

Increasing iron (Fe) content in rice is needed because Fe is a critical mineral that plays a crucial role in body metabolisms, such as a form of hemoglobin, antibody production, and a catalyst for several compounds. Meanwhile, the Fe absorption by rice plants is relatively low. Moringa oleifera and golden snail contain high Fe, potentially liquid fertilizer ingredients. This research aims to increase Fe uptake and Fe content of rice plants by application of liquid fertilizer of Moringa oleifera and golden snail. The study used a completely randomized design with two factors. The first factor is the composition of liquid organic fertilizer (P), six levels (P0: without fertilizer, P1: fresh extract of Moringa leaf, P2: fermented Moringa leaf, P3: fresh extract of Golden snail, P4: fermented Golden snail, P5: Mixed 1:1 by volume fermented of Moringa leaf and golden snail). The second factor is liquid fertilizer concentrations (K), which are four levels (K1: 2%, K2: 4%, K3: 6%, and K4: 8% concentration). Repetition of treatment three times. The results showed that the treatment affected increasing fresh weight of the plant, dry weight of the plant, 100 grain weight, number of leaves, total chlorophyll, and Fe content. The fermented mixture of Moringa and golden snail at 4% concentration increased the Fe available in the soil by 6,677% or 4,788% higher than the control. The fermented Moringa leaf with an 8% concentration increased Fe in rice, which was 8,165% or 30.50% higher than the control.