Formulasi Media Tanam Ramah Lingkungan Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Cabai Rawit (Capsicum Frutescences L.)

Abstract

Budidaya cabai rawit pada lahan terbatas menuntut media tanam yang mampu mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman, sedangkan tanah sebagai media tunggal memiliki keterbatasan sifat fisik dan kimia setelah digunakan berulang di dalam polibag. Formulasi media tanam yang menggabungkan bahan organik dan anorganik berupa kompos, pupuk kandang, zeolit, hidroton, dan biochar berpotensi memperbaiki mutu media sekaligus memanfaatkan bahan yang ramah lingkungan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menentukan formulasi media tanam yang menghasilkan pertumbuhan dan hasil terbaik pada cabai rawit berdasarkan bobot panen layak per tanaman. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Lahan Percobaan Kampus Gunung Gede Sekolah Vokasi IPB dengan menggunakan rancangan kelompok lengkap teracak satu faktor dan empat ulangan. Perlakuan yang diuji terdiri atas sembilan formulasi, yaitu perpaduan tiga bahan utama berupa tanah, kompos, dan pupuk kandang dengan tiga bahan pembenah berupa zeolit, hidroton, dan biochar. Peubah yang diamati meliputi tinggi tanaman, diameter batang, jumlah daun, jumlah cabang, jumlah bunga, jumlah buah, serta bobot panen layak dan tidak layak. Formulasi kompos dan biochar menghasilkan tinggi tanaman, jumlah bunga, dan jumlah buah tertinggi, dengan jumlah bunga mencapai 41,08 kuntum per tanaman pada 13 MST. Diameter batang terbesar diperoleh pada formulasi pupuk kandang dan zeolit, sedangkan jumlah daun terbanyak diperoleh pada formulasi tanah dan biochar. Jumlah cabang tidak berbeda nyata di antara perlakuan. Bobot panen layak tertinggi dihasilkan formulasi kompos dan biochar sebesar 21,90 g per tanaman, sedangkan formulasi pupuk kandang dan biochar menghasilkan 16,48 g per tanaman dengan hasil yang terpusat pada panen pertama dan kedua serta bobot panen tidak layak tertinggi sebesar 10,17 g per tanaman. Kedua formulasi tersebut tidak berbeda nyata, namun formulasi kompos dan biochar paling konsisten mendukung fase generatif dan menghasilkan buah bermutu layak, sehingga dapat dipertimbangkan sebagai media tanam bagi budidaya cabai rawit di lahan terbatas.

Cultivating bird's eye pepper on limited land requires a growing medium capable of supporting plant growth, whereas soil alone has physical and chemical limitations after repeated use in polybags. A growing medium formulation combining organic and inorganic materials, namely compost, manure, zeolite, hydroton, and biochar, has the potential to improve medium quality while utilizing environmentally friendly materials. This study aimed to determine the growing medium formulation producing the best growth and yield of bird's eye pepper based on marketable fruit weight per plant. The research was conducted at the Experimental Field of Kampus Gunung Gede, Sekolah Vokasi IPB, using a randomized complete block design with one factor and four replications. The treatments consisted of nine formulations combining three base materials, namely soil, compost, and manure, with three amendments, namely zeolite, hydroton, and biochar. The variables observed included plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, branch number, flower number, fruit number, and both marketable and unmarketable fruit weight. The compost and biochar formulation produced the highest plant height, flower number, and fruit number, with flower number reaching 41.08 flowers per plant at 13 weeks after planting. The largest stem diameter was obtained from the manure and zeolite formulation, whereas the highest leaf number was obtained from the soil and biochar formulation. Branch number did not differ significantly among the treatments. The highest marketable fruit weight was produced by the compost and biochar formulation at 21.90 g per plant, whereas the manure and biochar formulation produced 16.48 g per plant with yield concentrated in the first and second harvests and the highest unmarketable fruit weight of 10.17 g per plant. Although both formulations did not differ significantly, the compost and biochar formulation was the most consistent in supporting the generative phase and producing marketable fruit, and therefore can be considered as a growing medium for bird's eye pepper cultivation on limited land.