APLIKASI MULSA JERAMI TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL KACANG TANAH DI TANAH GAMBUT

Abstract

Increasing peanut production in peatlands faces constraints due to unfavorable physical and chemical soil properties, necessitating cultivation technologies such as the use of organic mulch. This study aims to examine the effect of rice straw mulch application on the growth and yield of peanuts in peat soil. The research used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with five levels of straw mulch dosage: M₀ (without mulch), M₁ (5 t.ha^-1), M₂ (10 t.ha^-1), M₃ (1t.ha^-1), and M₄ (20 t.ha^-1), replicated five times. The observed variables included plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, and 100-seed weight.The results showed that the application of straw mulch had a significant effect on plant height, number of leaves, and 100-seed weight compared to the treatment without mulch. However, there were no significant differences among the straw mulch dosage treatments (M₁ to M₄) for the plant height and leaf number parameters. The straw mulch dosage of 5 t.ha^-1 (M1) provided the best result for the 100-seed weight parameter at 45.1 grams. It is concluded that the use of straw mulch is capable of creating better growing conditions in peat soil. Nevertheless, it should be applied at an efficient dosage because excessive additional mulch does not provide a significant increase in growth or yield and potentially reduces soil aeration.