Enhancement of Eggplant Production in Intercropping Systems through Integrated Nutrient Management

Abstract

This research aimed to increase eggplant production in intercropping systems. Therefore, integrated nutrient management was carried out in Poncokusumo, Malang, from April to October 2018. It was conducted using a factorial randomized block design with two factors and three replications. The first factor was various doses of goat manure, which consisted of 3 levels, namely, 10, 20, and 30 tons ha-1 . Meanwhile, the second was microbial concentration and consisted of 7 levels, namely, without microbes as control, and 10, 20, 30 ml L-1 EM4, and ml l-1 PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria), respectively. The results showed no significant interaction between the doses of goat manure and microbial concentration on the growth and yield of the eggplants. Furthermore, the manure application at doses of 20 and 30 t ha-1 increased the production of the plant's fruits to 60.33 and 64.83 t ha-1 , respectively. While the use of EM4 and PGPR at concentrations of 20 and 30 ml L-1 led to the production at 63.16, 68.39, 61.57, and 64.61 t ha-1 . The results also showed that goat manure and microbes in the intercropping system of eggplant, curly lettuce, and chickpeas increased land productivity. Furthermore, treatment with the manure at doses of 20 and 30 tons ha-1 had the same land equivalent ratio (LER) of 2.20. Finally, applications of 10, 20, and 30 ml of L-1 EM4 let to LER values of 2.14, 2.20, and 2.29, respectively, while PGPR at concentrations of 20 and 30 ml L-1 let to the values of 2,16 and 2.20.