Organic matter and mixed biofertilizer for plant growth and yield of shallot grown in fertile soil

Abstract

Nowadays, shallot is important horticultural crops in Maluku include in Tual City, Maluku Province. For ensuring the macronutrients level in soil and yield during shallot cultivation, fertilization composed of chemical, organic and bio fertilizer is needed. The objective of field experiment was to evaluate the effect of mixed biofertilizer integrated with organic matter on total nitrogen and available phosphorous in soil as well as shallot yield grown in Vertisols of Tual. The experiment was setup in randomized block design with four treatments of compost and chicken manure amendment with and without biofertilizer containing N-fixing bacteria and P-solubilizing. At the vegetative stage, consortia biofertilizer combined with either compost or chicken manure increased plant height and soil reaction but decreased the available phosphate (P) and didn't change nitrogen (N) total in soil. Chicken manure amendment combined with biofertilizer inoculation increased dry weight of shoots and bulbs even though didn't significantly differ with other treatments. Nonetheles, that treatment resulted in high yield of shallot bulbs up to 14 t/ha.