The Effect of Microcompound Fertilizers and N, P, K on Plant Boron Levels and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersium L.) on Inceptisols
Emma Trinurani Sofyan *
Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Padjadjaran University, West Java, Indonesia.
Rina Devnita
Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Padjadjaran University, West Java, Indonesia.
Ania Citraresmini
Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Padjadjaran University, West Java, Indonesia.
Ichsan Nurul Bari
Department of Plant Pests and Diseases, Padjadjaran University, West Java, Indonesia.
Zahrah Atha Syaakirah
Agrotechnology Study Program, Padjadjaran University, West Java, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The Effect of Micro Compound Fertilizer and N, P, K on Plant Boron Levels and Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Yields in Inceptisols. Fertilizer application aims to support the growth and yield of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). However, most farmers generally focus on macro fertilization, while the utilization of micro nutrients is not optimal, especially boron nutrients play an important role in the formation of flowers, fruits, and crop quality. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the impact of micro compound fertilizer combined with N, P, K on plant boron levels and tomato yields. The experiment was conducted at Field II of the Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrition Experiment (KTNT), Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University. The experiment used a Randomized Completely Block Design with six treatments and four replications. The treatments included control, N, P, K fertilization and four combinations of micro compound fertilizer and N, P, K. The results showed that the application of micro compound fertilizer and N, P, K had a significant effect on plant boron levels and tomato yields. Treatment 1 (6 kg ha-1) dose of micro compound fertilizer and ¾ dose of N, P, K (150 kg ha-1 N; 112.5 kg ha-1 P; 75 kg ha-1 K) showed the most effective and highest results in increasing plant boron levels (96.56 ppm), number of fruits per plot (101.54 fruits), fruit weight per plot (16.10 kg), weight per fruit (58.70 g), and fruit diameter (44.08 mm) on Inceptisols.
Keywords: Foliar application, N, P, and K fertilization, micronutrients, boron, tomato, Inceptisols