Response of sow thistle to the level of shading and mycorrhiza

Abstract

Perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis L.) is one of the Indonesian medicinal plants that contain flavonoid compounds. The research aimed to examine the effects of shading and mycorrhiza application toward the growth, fresh and dry weight of shoot, chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and quercetin content of S. arvensis. The research was conducted in the greenhouse of the Soil Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. The experimental design used was a split-plot design, with shading level as the main plot and mycorrhiza application as the subplot. Shading treatment comprised four levels: 0%, 25%, 40%, and 75%, whether subplot comprised two levels: control and with mycorrhizal inoculation. The result showed that shading significantly affected plant growth, fresh and dry weight of shoot, and chlorophyll content. Without shading levels (level 0%) resulted in the highest plant growth, nutrient uptake and yield. The shading level of 0% with AMF application resulted in the highest yield of quercetin. The chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll content was not significantly different at 0%, 25%, and 40% shading levels but decreased significantly at 75% shade levels.