THE EFFECT OF PROVIDING CHICKEN MANURE AND NPK FERTILIZER ON THE HEIGHT GROWTH OF CUCUMBER PLANT PENGARUH PEMBERIAN PUPUK KANDANG AYAM DAN PUPUK NPK TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN TINGGI TANAMAN MENTIMUN Section Articles

Abstract

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a popular vegetable fruit in Indonesia due to its beneficial nutritional content as a source of vitamins and minerals. Despite its good market potential, cucumber production in North Sumatra has experienced significant fluctuations in recent years, with a drastic decline in 2021. This decrease is indicated by less-than-optimal cultivation systems. This study aims to analyze the effects of applying chicken manure and NPK fertilizer doses on cucumber growth and production, as well as the interaction between these two types of fertilizers. The research was conducted at the experimental field of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia, using a factorial randomized block design. The factors tested include doses of chicken manure (0, 2, and 4 kg/plot) and doses of NPK fertilizer (0, 40, and 80 grams/plot). Cucumber growth data were measured at 14 and 21 days after planting and analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan's test. The results indicate that the best fertilizer doses for cucumber growth and yield are the combination of 4 kg/plot of chicken manure and 40 grams/plot of NPK fertilizer, which produced a plant height of 55.1 cm. Other fertilizer doses did not show significant differences. The study concludes that optimal fertilization can effectively enhance cucumber growth and production.