Optimization of BioPot compositions made from water hyacinth and coconut coir for improving the growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum L.)

Purpose An attempt to improve the quality and quantity of chili production through good and effective nursery still needs some development and advancement. Polybag as seedling pot made from polyethylene has non-biodegradable properties that causes environmental impacts, so alternative biodegradable pot which is derived from renewable organic material, namely BioPot, is urgent. The suitable BioPot compositions to complete the nursery stage successfully still need further research and improvement. This research aimed at optimizing BioPot compositions made from water hyacinth and coconut coir for improving the growth and yield of chili. Methods The experiment was carried out using simple RCBD, three replication, one control (polybag) and 5 BioPot compositions (percentage of water hyacinth and coconut coir) as treatments labelled as PO1 (40:60), PO2 (50:50), PO3 (60:40), PO4 (70:30) and PO5 (80:20). The data were analyzed by ANOVA (F-test), then by means of HSD (Tukey test) α 5% as well as response surface analysis. Results The results showed that PO3 and PO4 showed no difference in all observations of the growth of chilli. The highest yield of chili was obtained using PO4 (70% water hyacinth and 30% coconut coir) although the number was not significantly different from PO3 and PO5 (60-80% water hyacinth and 20-40% coconut coir), except in fruit length variable. Conclusion BioPot made from 70% water hyacinth and 30% coconut coir (PO4) was the optimum composition based on scatter plot, contour plot, and surface plot.