Production Potential and Shelf-Life of Shallot as Affected by Inorganic Fertilizers Complemented with Organic Fertilizer and Rice Husk Charcoal in Dryland

Abstract

Shallot (Allium cepa L.) is one of the important horticultural commodities with high economic value in Indonesia. The extent of planting areas in marginal land requires technological innovation for the development of shallot such as improvement and location-specific technological innovation. This research aims to observe the effect of various doses of inorganic fertilizers complemented with organic fertilizer and rice husk charcoal on the production and shelf-life of shallot. The study was conducted from March to June 2019 in East Lombok using a completely randomized block design with 1 factor and 5 levels of treatment: A1 (farmer’s practices: 0 kg/ha organic fertilizer; 0 kg/ha rice husk charcoal; 300 kg/ha urea; 250 kg/ha NPK+Zn; and 100 kg/ha SP-36), A2 (10,000 kg/ha organic fertilizer; 10,000 kg/ha rice husk charcoal; 75 kg/ha urea; 62.5 kg/ha NPK+Zn; and 25 kg/ha SP-36), A3 (10,000 kg/ha organic fertilizer; 10,000 rice kg/ha husk charcoal; 150 kg/ha urea; 125 kg/ha NPK+Zn; and 50 kg/ha SP-36), A4 (10,000 kg/ha organic fertilizer; 10,000 kg/ha rice husk charcoal; 225 kg/ha urea; 187.5 kg/ha NPK+Zn; and 75 kg/ha SP-36) and A5 (10,000 kg/ha organic fertilizer; 10,000 kg/ha rice husk charcoal; 300 kg/ha urea; 250 kg/ha NPK+Zn; and 100 kg/ha SP-36). Results showed that plant height and leaf number were not significantly different in various treatments. The bulb number showed that at the age of 20 and 70 days after sowing, the highest value was shown in the A3, and the lowest value was shown in A1 and A2 treatments. Meanwhile, treatment of A5 can reduce weight loss of the prospective seeds.