EFFECTIVENESS OF BIOCHAR RESIDUE COMPOSITION AND ORGANIC FERTILIZER ON CAULIFLOWER CROPS

Abstract

Degraded soil that loses many nutrients becomes unproductive and is therefore less suitable for agriculture. One of the efforts to improve degraded soil is by adding organic materials, such as biochar and cow manure. Biochar as a soil ameliorant has been proven to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. When combined with manure, plants production will be much more optimal. This study aims to study the effects of biochar residue and cow manure in the second planting season on the growth and yield of cauliflower plants in paddy fields. The study was conducted in August - October 2023 in Lowokwaru District, Malang City. The study used a 1-factor Randomized Block Design (RBD) which was a mixture of biochar residue and cow manure consisting of 7 treatments, namely P0 (control), P1 (100% cow manure), P2 (100% biochar), P3 (80% biochar: 20% cow manure), P4 (60% biochar: 40% cow manure), P5 (40% biochar: 60% cow manure), P6 (20% biochar: 80% cow manure). Based on the results of the study, the treatment of biochar residue and cow manure had a positive effect on the growth and yield of cauliflower plants. The treatment of 60% biochar residue: 40% manure (P4) was the best treatment for harvest results, namely the best crop and leaf weight of 485.89 g, crop weight of 274.11 g and harvest yield of 7.57 tons/ha compared to the control of 5.54 tons/ha.