Effects of Biochar and Banana Peel Application on Ulam Raja (Cosmos caudatus) Growth

Excessive consumption of chemical fertilizers in recent years have increased throughout the world, causing serious environmental problems. This research can minimize the usage of chemical fertilizers and reduce the waste management. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the effects of biochar and banana peel application on growth performance of Cosmos caudatus. The plants were treated by 100 g biochar, 100 g banana peel, the mixture of 50 g biochar and 50 g banana peel and control with five replications as treatments. The research was conducted by using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The data was analysed by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and the differences between treatments mean were compared using Tukey test with significant level (P≤0.05). The growth parameters measured were shoot length, root length, soil pH and number of leaves. The results suggested that the shoot length and number of leaves for all the treatments were significantly higher compared to the control. All the treatments also showed a significantly higher root length compared to the control except 100 g banana peel treatment. There were no significant changes in soil pH for all the treatments. Hence, the study showed that biochar and banana peel gave significant effects on Cosmos caudatus growth.