Adjustment of phosphorus concentration to increase growth and yield of cherry tomato using hydroponic drip system

Abstract

The phosphorus element plays an essential role in plant growth both at the vegetative and generative phases, so its concentration modification in the nutrient solution is necessary to stimulate vegetative growth and crop yield. The research aimed to know the influence of different phosphorus concentrations on growth and yield of cherry tomato using a hydroponic drip irrigation system, conducted from February to June 2017 at Green House Research Station of  Universitas Padjajaran Jatinangor using Completely Randomized Design with five treatments and five replications. The treatments were: phosphorous concentration of 100 ppm (P/N ratio 0.4), 125 ppm (P/N ratio 0.5), 150 ppm (P/N ratio 0.6), 175 ppm (P/N ratio 0.7), and 200 ppm (P/N ratio 0.8). The results showed that the increasing concentration of phosphorus improved crops height at the end of the vegetative phase, increased the number of flowers from the beginning to the end of the generative period, was able to prevent the flower fall, enhanced harvest index and weight of tomato fruit significantly at harvest time. Application of 200 ppm phosphorus concentration can increase growth and yield of cherry tomato.   Unsur fosfor berperan penting dalam pertumbuhan tanaman pada fase vegetatif maupun fase generatif. Konsentrasi unsur P pada nutrisi tanaman sangat penting untuk merangsang pertumbuhan vegetatif dan hasil panen. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh ragam kosentrasi unsur posfor terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman tomat cherry pada sistem hidroponik irigasi tetes. Penelitian telah dilaksanakan pada bulan Februari sampai Juni 2017 di Green House Universitas Padjadjaran Jatinangor menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap terdiri dari lima perlakuan dan lima ulangan. Perlakuan konsentrasi posfor, yaitu 100 ppm (rasio P/N 0,4), 125 ppm (rasio P/N 0,5), 150 ppm (rasio P/N 0,6); 175 ppm (rasio P/N 0,7), dan 200 ppm (rasio P/N 0,8). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa peningkatan konsentrasi posfor meningkatkan tinggi tanaman pada akhir fase vegetatif, meningkatkan jumlah bunga dari awal sampai akhir fase generatif, mengurangi jumlah bunga gugur, meningkatkan indeks panen dan berat buah. Aplikasi konsentrasi posfor 200 ppm dapat meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman tomat cherry.