The effect of growing media composition and coconut water concentration on the yield and quality of red chili (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

Red chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important horticultural commodity which is widely cultivated in Indonesia and has high economic value. The need for red chili in Indonesia continues to increase in line with the increasing need for public consumption and for raw materials for the food industry over the last five years. Therefore, it is necessary to have a strategy to increase the production of large red chilies to meet domestic needs, namely through the application of cultivation technology innovation. This study cultivated red chili by utilizing cocoa husk waste as organic compost, bokashi fertilizer and coconut water as natural plant growth hormones. This combination is expected to provide the right solution to increase the yield and quality of red chili. The aim of the study was to determine the difference of yield and quality of large red chilies which were carried out using a Completely Randomized Design to examine the treatment of two factors (4x4) which were repeated 3 times, namely the composition of the growing media as the first factor and the concentration of coconut water as the second factor, and was carried out for 4 months starting from April until June 2020. The results of statistical analysis of all experimental parameters show that the treatment of the interaction of two factors between the composition of the growing media and the concentration of coconut water has a significant effect on all the parameters observed. The combination of treatment between the composition of the growing media mixture of soil (20%)+bokashi compost (20%) + cocoa pod husk compost (60%) with coconut water concentration treatment of 30 ml/ liter of water showed the best effect on all parameters of yield and quality of red chili.