Growth performance and secondary metabolite production of Adenostemma madurense using different fertilizers

Adenostemma madurense is one of the Asteraceae with many medical properties but has not been widely cultivated. This study aims to determine the different fertilizer doses that can produce the best growth, phenolic, flavonoid, terpenoid, and the 11α-OH KA (a diterpenoid found in A. madurense productivity), resulting in the high antioxidant capacity of A. madurense. A one-factor randomized block design was employed in five fertilizer doses, control/without fertilizer, 100 % cow manure (20 tons/ha), 100 % NPK (in the form of urea, SP-36, and KCl:135, 100, 135 kg/ha, respectively), a combination of 50 % cow manure + 50 % NPK, and a combination of 100 % cow manure + 100 % NPK. Fertilizers increase plant growth. Applying the combination of 100 % cow manure + 100 % NPK was the best fertilizer composition, which produced the highest plant height, leaf, and branch number. This fertilizer combination produced total phenolic, flavonoid productivity of 739.50 μmol Gallic Acid Equivalent/plant, 97.37 μmol Quercetin Equivalent/plant, not significantly different from applying 100 % NPK and the combination of 50 % cow manure + 50 % NPK, and terpenoid productivity of 77.51 mmol Nerol Equivalent/plant. The 11α-OH KA productivity and antioxidant capacity of this fertilizer is 18.00 mM 11α-OH KA/plant and 601.76 μmol Ascorbic Acid Equivalent/g dry sample, not significantly different from applying 100 % NPK. Applying 100 % cow manure + 100 % NPK may enhance the medicinal plant A. madurense’s efficacy, especially for antioxidants.