Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Ubi jalar (Ipomoea batatas L.) merupakan salah satu komoditas pangan penting yang berpotensi mendukung diversifikasi pangan nasional. Produktivitas ubi jalar dapat ditingkatkan melalui penerapan teknik budidaya yang tepat. Kombinasi jenis mulsa dan bahan organik berpotensi memperbaiki sifat tanah, menjaga kelembapan tanah, serta meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman. Mulsa berfungsi dalam menjaga kelembapan tanah, menekan pertumbuhan gulma, dan mengurangi kehilangan air akibat penguapan, sedangkan bahan organik berperan dalam memperbaiki sifat fisik, kimia, dan biologi tanah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh berbagai jenis mulsa dan bahan organik terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman ubi jalar serta interaksi antara kedua faktor tersebut. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan I, Laboratorium Fisiologi Tumbuhan, dan Laboratorium Ilmu dan Teknologi Benih Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Syiah Kuala dari Juni hingga Oktober 2025. Penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok pola faktorial 3 × 2 dengan 3 ulangan. Faktor pertama adalah jenis mulsa yang terdiri dari tanpa mulsa, mulsa plastik hitam perak, dan mulsa jerami padi. Faktor kedua adalah bahan organik yang terdiri atas pupuk kandang sapi dan biochar. Parameter yang diamati yaitu tinggi tanaman, diameter batang, jumlah daun, jumlah cabang, bobot berangkasan basah, bobot berangkasan kering, jumlah umbi, bobot umbi, panjang umbi, diameter umbi, dan potensi hasil. Terdapat interaksi antara jenis mulsa dan bahan organik berpengaruh sangat nyata terhadap bobot umbi, panjang umbi dan potensi hasil. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan perlakuan mulsa jerami padi merupakan perlakuan terbaik pada faktor jenis mulsa, sedangkan perlakuan biochar merupakan perlakuan terbaik pada faktor bahan organik dalam meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman ubi jalar.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important food crop with considerable potential to support national food diversification. Sweet potato productivity can be improved through the implementation of appropriate cultivation practices. The combination of mulch types and organic amendments has the potential to improve soil properties, maintain soil moisture, and enhance plant growth and yield. Mulch functions to conserve soil moisture, suppress weed growth, and reduce water loss through evaporation, while organic amendments improve the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. This study aimed to determine the effects of different mulch types and organic amendments on the growth and yield of sweet potato, as well as the interaction between these two factors. The experiment was conducted at Experimental Farm I, the Plant Physiology Laboratory, and the Seed Science and Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Syiah Kuala University, from June to October 2025. The experiment employed a factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement and three replications. The first factor was mulch type, consisting of no mulch, silver-black plastic mulch, and rice straw mulch. The second factor was organic amendment, consisting of cow manure and biochar. The observed parameters included plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, number of branches, fresh biomass weight, dry biomass weight, number of tubers, tuber weight, tuber length, tuber diameter, and yield potential. A highly significant interaction between mulch type and organic amendment was observed for tuber weight, tuber length, and yield potential. The results showed that rice straw mulch was the best treatment among the mulch types, while biochar was the best organic amendment for improving the growth and yield of sweet potato.