Growth And Yield Response Of Potato Plants (Solanum Tuberosum L.) To Application Of Various Doses Of Solid Decanter And Urea

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a horticultural crop, is widely consumed by Indonesians as a supplementary carbohydrate source and as a vegetable due to the high nutritional value of its tuber. Healthy vegetative growth of potato plants tends to result in more tubers and greater tuber weight. This research was conducted to determine the best interaction between solid decanter and Urea on potato plant growth, identify the optimal solid decanter dosage for growth and yield, and verify the best urea dosage for growth and yield. The study was carried out at the Experimental Farm of the Agricultural Instrument Standards Application Center (BPSIP) in West Sumatra from January to April 2024. The experiment was designed using a Randomized Complete Block Design with two factors and three levels of treatment. The first factor was Solid decanter with doses of 4, 8, and 12 tons/ha, while the second factor was Urea with doses of 150, 300 and 450 kg/ha. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, followed by Duncan's New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) at a 5% significance level. The results revealed that interaction between Solid decanter at 8 tons/ha and Urea at 150 kg/ha produced the largest leaf area. The application of Solid decanter did not significantly affect the growth and yield of potato plants. However, applying Urea at 150 kg/ha resulted in the tallest plants, the highest number of tubers per plant, and the heaviest tubers per plant.