APPLICATION OF SLOW RELEASE NPK FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH OF SWEET CORN PLANTS (Zea Mays L.) Dewi Sartika1*, Amanda Patappari2, Muh Rezky Rahmatullah1, Isnam Junais1
1 Agribuiness Department, Muhammadiyah University of Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia
2 Agrotechnology Department, Muhammadiyah University of Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia
Abstract
Inefficiency and asymmetry in applying fertiliser in agricultural cultivation activities cause various problems, including environmental issues, imbalance in soil nutrition, and food production that could be more optimal and impact human health. The development of slow-release NPK fertiliser products (NPK-LL) is a solution to overcome the problem of inefficiency, providing and improving fertiliser performance through optimal nutrient absorption. This research aims to determine the effect of NPK concentration of slow-release fertiliser on the growth of sweet corn plants. This research was carried out with a wholly randomised non-factorial plan with 5 treatment levels (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 grams of NPK-LL Fertilizer)- observations were made on days 0, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70 and 84 HST. The research showed that applying slow-release NPK fertiliser significantly affected plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, ear length and ear diameter. The best NPK-LL fertiliser concentrate was given in the 30 g sweet treatment, which gave the best results for the growth of corn plants
