The effectiveness of nutrient variation to hydroponic Caisim (Brassica juncea L.) growth

Abstract

One type of vegetable that is popular among the Indonesian is mustard greens (Brassica junceaL.), which is also known as Caisim because it is often processed into various dishes and contains various ingredients and vitamins which are good for health. The last few years Caisim production has decreased, one of the causes is the constraints in the cultivation process, especially in the use of fertilizers due to the relatively long-term use of inorganic fertilizers. To improve the cultivation of Caisim without looking at the soil conditions, we can use a hydroponic system. However, hydroponics need more cost because the AB MIX nutrition is still relatively expensive, so it needs an alternative nutrient as a substitute for AB MIX which has the same ability. AB Mix is a mixture of fertilizer A and fertilizer B. Fertilizer A contains potassium while fertilizer B contains sulfate and phosphate. An alternative nutrient as a substitute for AB MIX which has the same ability, such as liquid fertilizer based on local microorganisms (LMO) which has properties that are easily absorbed by plants so that the use of organic nutrients can be used as a source of substitute nutrition, which is more economically affordable and has a very good influence on Caisim and is expected to increase production in Caisim cultivation. This study used a Completely Randomized Design with a single factor experimental design consisting of 4 treatments, namely a combination of AB MIX solution and various kinds of LMO-based organic nutrients as follows: A = LMO A 5 ml + AB MIX 5 mL/L of water; B = LMO B 5 mL + AB MIX 5 mL/L water; C = LMO A 5 mL + MOL B 5 mL/Liter water; D = AB MIX 10 mL/L water. The variables observed were plant height, number of leaves, and biomass of Caisim. The results showed that the variation of AB MIX nutrition and liquid organic fertilizer based on LMO effectively increased the growth of Caisim plants. The highest average plant height was given by Caisim with AB MIX nutrition, which is 69.2 cm. The highest average number of leaves was obtained by Caisim which was grown with a combination of LMO A and LMO B nutrients, which was 27.8. The largest average wet weight was given by Caisim with AB MIX nutrition, which is 32.3 g. According to the three parameters, the use of ab mix nutrients is 10 mL / L water and a combination of LMO A 5 mL + LMO B 5 mL / L water is the most effective combination of nutrients for hydroponic Caisim growth.