The effect of various doses of biofertilizers on the growth response of medang (Dehaasia firma Blume) seedling

Abstract

The increasing demand of wood whilst log production from natural forest decreasing is answered by a forest planting program in unproductive lands. The Medang (Dehaasia firma Blume) tree of Lauraceae family is one of the recommended species for plantation forests due to its its wide distribution areas in Indonesia and its wood’s multi-functionality. To increase its growth, application of biofertilizer could supply organic matter and improve the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of biofertilizer doses on the growth of medang. The research was conducted in the Silvicultural nursery of the Forest Research and Development Center in Bogor. A Completely Randomize Design (CRD) comprising one factor with three replications was employed as the research method. The dosage of bionature as a treatment factor consists of control (without fertilizer), bionature-25, bionature-50, and bionature-100. The measured growth parameters were height, diameter, shoot ratio, and seedling quality index. The results showed that the dose of bionature-50 generated the best growth of medang seedlings for height and diameter; bionature-25 generated the best growth for root shoot ratio while bionature-100 generated the best growth for total dry weight and Seedling Quality Index.