Effectiveness of Biological Fertilizer of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal in Efforts to Increase the Productivity of The Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) Local of Wamena

Abstract

Cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) is a horticultural crop commodity that has high economic value. So, it requires innovations to increase cayenne pepper production, especially due to the need for more quality land, such as dry land in Wamena. The innovation in question includes using biological microorganisms that positively impact plants and the environment, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (CMA). For this reason, this research aims to analyze the effectiveness of mycorrhizal biological fertilizer in increasing the productivity of local Wamena cayenne pepper plants. The research was conducted from June to September 2023 using a completely randomized design method with 1 factor, namely the dose of mycorrhizal fertilizer (20 g, 50 g, 80 g, and 120 g), repeated six times. Next, the observation data obtained was analyzed using ANOVA, which continued with the DMRT test at a 5% level. The results of the research showed that mycorrhizal treatment had a good impact on increasing the productivity of cayenne pepper plants, seen from plant growth indicators such as plant height, stem diameter, and number of leaves, as well as plant yield indicators seen from the number of fruit per plant, fresh weight of fruit per plant, and also fresh weight. Furthermore, plant dryness is supported by plant physiological processes such as total plant chlorophyll content. The dose of mycorrhizal fertilizer that is effective in increasing the productivity of cayenne pepper plants is a dose of 120 g per plant (P4).