Salinity and potassium fertilizer on growth and proline of the medicinal plant Pereskia bleo

Abstract

There is strong observational evidence that climate change patterns impact the salinization of agricultural land in some countries. It is suspected that a significant increase in soil salinity of the root zone occurs due to the impact of prolonged drought conditions. Rainfall in Indonesia is strongly influenced by EL NINO and LA NINA/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, and global warming will cause ENSO events to occur more frequently. Salinity will provide adverse effects, such as plant growth, by decreasing leaf water potential, morphological and physiological changes, increased osmotic stress, and changes in biochemical processes. Potassium has some role in plants, including medium nutrient transportation, resistance to drought, expanding root growth, and enzyme activation. This study aims to find out the tolerance of the Pereskia bleo plant to salinity and the effect of applying Potassium in growth with proline indicators. The study used a Completely Randomized Design with 2 factors (NaCl 0 ppm; 4 ppm; 8 ppm/plant and KCl 0 g; 1.5 g; 3 g/plant). The results showed that salinity has a significant effect on growth, and there is an interaction between salinity and potassium fertilizer on proline. In general, the application of potassium fertilizer increases the tolerance ability of Pereskia bleo plants to salinity.