The effect of mycorrhizal inoculation and liquid organic fertilizer on growth and yield of red chili

Abstract

Red chili is one of the strategic horticultural commodities in Indonesia. Improved cultivation technology is required to increase the production of red chili. This research aim to determines the optimal dosage of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the concentration of liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) to increase the growth and yield of red chili. The research was designed in a Factorial Randomized Complete Block. The first factor was mycorrhizae with three dosages levels: 0, 5, and 10 g plant-1. The other factor was liquid organic fertilizer with 4 level concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 15 ml l-1. The result shows that mycorrhizal inoculation increase the root absorption area. Liquid organic fertilizer increased nutrient sources for plants and improved the physical, biological, and chemical soil. Mycorrhizal inoculation and LOF improved the growth of red chili, there were plant height, number of branches, stem diameter, header width, and leaf area index. The yield components also increased the number of fruit, fruit length, fruit weight, and productivity. The highest productivity was resulted by the treatment of AMF 10 g plant-1and 15 ml l-1LOF (11.16 t ha-1), that was 33% higher than without treatment.