AGUS SUYANTO*, DONNA YOULLA, SETIAWAN AND SHINTA ROSALINA
Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Panca Bhakti University, Jl. Kom Yos Sudarso, 78113 Pontianak, Indonesia
*(e-mail: agussuyanto@upb.ac.id; Mobile: 62811574462)
(Received: December 2, 2023; Accepted: January 18, 2024)
ABSTRACT
West Kalimantan has a total area of marginal land reaching 1,015,631 ha, which has the potential for agricultural use, but it requires appropriate land management techniques due to its naturally low fertility. This research aimed at assessing the potential of Tithonia diversifolia fertilizer as soil fertility enhancer for marginal land. The study was conducted from January 2019 to February 2020. It involved three stages: stage 1 was the planting of T. diversifolia in former gold mining soil, stage 2 was the planting of eggplants in red-yellow podzolic soil and stage 3 was the planting of spinach in alluvial soil. The research utilized a randomized block design using polybags. The results indicated that the application of T. diversifolia fertilizer improved the growth and yield of eggplants in red-yellow podzolic soil and spinach in alluvial soil. Moreover, T. diversifolia was also effective in soil reclamation on former gold mining sites, as evidenced by a mercury content reduction up to 45.61%.
Key words: Marginal soils, soil fertility, Tithonia diversifolia, West Kalimantan