Growth and Yield Response of Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to the Application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria
Abstract
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are horticultural plants from the Solanaceae family that contain protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphate, iron, fat, and vitamins. Tomato production in Indonesia has declined due to the lack of nutrients absorbed by tomato plants. Efforts that can be made include the application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer (LOF) and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). This study was conducted to examine the interaction between LOF and PGPR and to determine the appropriate concentrations of LOF and PGPR for tomato plant growth and yield. The research was conducted from February to June 2025 in Ampeldento Village, Karangploso District, Malang Regency. The design used was a Factorial Randomized Group Design (FRGD) consisting of two treatment factors, namely LOF and PGPR. The LOF factor consisted of 4 treatment levels and the PGPR consisted of 3 treatment levels. Each treatment was repeated 3 times, resulting in 36 experimental units. If there was a significant effect, it was followed by a Honest Significant Difference (HSD) at the 5% level. The results showed that there was an interaction between the application of LOF concentration and PGPR concentration on the growth and yield parameters of tomato plants. The combination of 30 ml L-1 LOF and 40 ml L-1 PGPR produced higher average plant height, number of leaves, leaf area,fresh weight, dry weight, crop growth rate, total number of fruits per plant, fruit weight per plant, and fruit weight per hectare, so that combination is the appropriate treatment to support tomato plant growth and yield.