Optimizing Water Level on Japanese Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) with Unpowered Automatic Fertigator Technology (FONi)
Abstract
The Japanese cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) requires adequate and continous water supply throughout its growth period. Unpowered Automatic Fertigator (FONi) technology supplies water and nutrients based on plant water uptake without electricity. The purpose this study is to determine the optimal water level for Japanese cucumber cultivated by the FONi technologi. This study evaluated the effects of four water levels (4, 8, 12 and 16 cm) on the growth and yield of Japanese cucumber. Each level of research has 10 plant samples. Observation variables are plant length, stem diameter, number of leaves, analysis of chlorophyll, fruit weight, root length, total irrigation volume and environmental parameters. The data obtained is averaged and presented in line graph and bar graph. The results of the study with a water level of 8 cm obtained the highest results, namely plant length 231,43 cm, stem diameter 8,93 mm, number of leaves 25,5 leaves, fruit weight 394 g, root length 49,47 cm. These finding indicate that maintaining an 8 cm water level is potentially suitable for supporting Japanese cucumber growth and yield using FONi uder the tested greenhouse conditions.
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