Effect of Humic Acid and Phosphorus on Plant Growth of Corn (Zea mays L) and Chemical Characteristic Latosol Cimulang

Abstract

Corn is an important commodity in Indonesia that is needed in agreat amount each year. Attempt to increase corn production is limited by unavailability of land which is generally an acid soil with low fertility. An acid soil, especially dry land is generally low level fertility and also low available phosphorus (P). To overcome those problems can be done by application of organic matter and fertilization. Humic acid is one of the organic matter sources, which has capability to improve physical and chemical properties of the soil, and also plant growth. Meanwhile, low availability of phosphorus can be improved by addition of phosphorus fertilizer. This aims of the research was to study the effect of humic acid and phosphorus fertilizer on the growth of corn and soil chemical properties Latosol Cimulang after planting. The experiments were conducted at the University Farm Bogor Agriculture University and plant tissue analysis conducted at the Laboratory of Soil chemistry and Fertility, Department of Soil Sciences and Land Ressources, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University. The design of the experiment was factorially completely randomize design with two factors and 3 replications. The first factor was doses of humic acid (H) and the second factor was doses of phosphorus fertilizer (P), so that the experiment consisted of 27 experimental units.

Jagung merupakan komoditi penting di Indonesia dan dibutuhkan dalam jumlah yang sangat besar setiap tahunnya. Usaha meningkatkan produksi jagung terkendala potensi lahan yang tersedia di Indonesia yang umumnya terdiri dari tanah masam dengan tingkat berkesuburan rendah. Tanah masam - lahan kering umumnya memilki tingkat kesuburan dan ketersediaan fosfor (P) yang rendah. Upaya mengatasi hal tersebut dapat dilakukan dengan pemberian bahan organik dan pemupukan. Pemberian bahan organik dapat dilakukan melalui pemberian asam humat. Asam humat berpotensi dalam memperbaiki sifat fisik dan kimia tanah maupun pertumbuhan tanaman, sedangkan rendahnya ketersediaan P tanah dapat diperbaiki dengan penambahan pupuk P. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari pengaruh asam humat dan pupuk fosfor (P) terhadap pertumbuhan tanaman jagung dan sifat kimia tanah Latosol Cimulang setelah panen. Percobaan dilakukan di kebun percobaan University farm Institut Pertanian Bogor dan analisis jaringan tanaman dilakukan di Laboratorium Kimia Kesuburan Tanah, Fakultas Pertanian, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Percobaan ini menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap faktorial du factor. Sebagai factor pertama adalah dosis asam humat (H) dan factor kedua adalah pupuk fosfor (P) yang masing-masing diberikan dalam 3 taraf dosis dan masingmasing terdiri dari 3 ulangan, sehingga percobaan terdiri dari 27 satuan percobaan.