Judul: Application of K Fertilizer for Increased Yield of Cowpea Plants (Vigna unguiculata L.)
Abstrak: Kacang tunggak (Vigna unguiculata L.) merupakan tanaman Leguminoceae yang berpotensi menjadi alternatif substitusi kedelai karena mengandung gizi yang tinggi. Produksi kacang tunggak masih rendah sehingga diperlukan upaya perbaikan budidaya untuk meningkatkan hasil panen melalui pemupukan. Varietas Albina IPB merupakan salah satu varietas yang prospektif dengan potensi hasil mencapai 3,88-4,69 ton ha-1. Penelitian ini bertujuan mempelajari pengaruh pupuk K dan menentukan dosis optimum pupuk K untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan produksi kacang tunggak. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kebun Cikabayan Bawah dari bulan Desember 2022 sampai Maret 2023. Pengamatan dilakukan di Laboratorium Pasca Panen dan Mikroteknik. Rancangan Percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Kelompok Lengkap Teracak (RKLT) sebanyak tiga ulangan dengan faktor tunggal yaitu lima taraf dosis pupuk K. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh dari perlakuan dosis pupuk K tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap semua peubah yang diamati. Meskipun tidak berpengaruh nyata, terdapat indikasi penurunan bobot kering akar tanaman terhadap penambahan dosis pupuk K. Peubah komponen hasil yang menunjukkan indikasi peningkatan hasil pada setiap penambahan pupuk K yaitu bobot basah polong per tanaman, bobot kering polong per tanaman, jumlah polong per tanaman, bobot 100 biji per tanaman, indeks panen, bobot basah polong ubinan, bobot kering biji ubinan, dan produktivitas. Meskipun begitu, belum dapat ditentukan dosis optimum dari lima taraf dosis pupuk K yang diujikan., Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is a Leguminoceae plant that has the potential to be an alternative substitute for soybeans because it contains high nutrition. Cowpea production is still low, so efforts to improve cultivation are needed to increase yields by improving cultivation technique, including optimization of fertilizer application. The Albina IPB variety is one of the prospective varieties with a potential yield of 3,88-4,69 tons ha-1. This study aims to study the effect of K fertilizer and determine the optimum dose of K fertilizer to increase the growth and production of cowpea. The research was carried out at the Lower Cikabayan Gardens from December 2022 to March 2023. Observations were made at the Post-Harvest and Microtechnic Laboratory. The experimental design used was a Completely Randomized Group Design (RKLT) with three replications with a single factor, namely five levels of K fertilizer doses. The results showed that the effect of the K fertilizer dose treatment had no significant effect on all observed variables. Although it had no significant effect, there were indications of a decrease in the dry weight of plant roots with the addition of K fertilizer doses. The yield component variables that indicated an increase in yield with each addition of K fertilizer were the wet weight of pods per plant, the dry weight of pods per plant, the number of pods per plant, the weight 100 seeds per plant, harvest index, fresh weight of tiled pods, dry weight of tiled seeds, and productivity. Even so, it has not been possible to determine the optimum dose of the five K fertilizer dose levels tested.
Keyword: Albina IPB, pemupukan, pupuk kalium, dosis optimum, dosis pupuk, Albina IPB, fertilization, potassium fertilizer, optimum dose dose level