KAJIAN MACAM PUPUK NPK DAN POPULASI TANAMAN TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL BAWANG MERAH (Allium ascalonicum. L) ASAL BENIH (TRUE SHALLOT SEED)

ABSTRAKKonsumsi bawang merah oleh sektor rumah tangga tahun naik sebesar 512% dibanding tahun 2021. Permintaan bawang merah yang makin meningkat perlu diimbangi dengan produksi dan produktivitas yang tinggi. Penggunaan bahan tanam umbi konsumsi sebagai bahan tanam memiliki beberapa kelemahan antara lain kualitas benih yang menurun, potensi membawa hama dan penyakit, sulitnya penyimpanan dan pendistribusian. Bahan tanam dari umbi perlu biaya tinggi mencapai 40% dari total biaya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh  macam pupuk NPK dan populasi tanaman terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman bawang merah (Allium ascalonicum L) asal benih (True Shallot Seed). Penelitian menggunakan metode Rancangan Acak Kelompok Lengkap (RAKL), disusun secara faktorial yang terdiri dari dua faktor yaitu macam pupuk NPK terdiri dari 4 taraf yaitu M0: tanpa pemupukan; M1: NPK Mutiara; M2: NPK Phonska; dan M3: NPK campuran Urea, SP 36 dan KCl dan populasi tanaman terdiri dari 2 taraf yaitu J1: populasi 50 tanaman/m2 dan J2: populasi 20 tanaman/m2 sehingga ada 8 kombinasi perlakuan yang diulang sebanyak 4 kali. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan tidak ada interaksi antara macam pupuk NPK dan populasi tanaman terhadap parameter yang diamati. Perlakuan macam pupuk NPK tidak berpengaruh nyata pada tinggi tanaman dan jumlah daun pada umur 14 dan 28 hari setelah tanam (HST) tetapi berpengaruh nyata pada umur 42 HST. Populasi tanaman hanya berpengaruh nyata pada tinggi tanaman pada umur 14 HST dan jumlah umbi/tanaman. Hasil tertinggi bobot umbi/tanaman diperoleh pada perlakuan NPK campuran sebesar 177.38 g/tanaman dan terendah pada perlakuan tanpa pupuk, sebesar 155.00 g/tanaman. Perlakuan populasi umbi 20 tanaman/m2 memberikan hasil 17.36 umbi/tanaman.  ABSTRACTConsumption of shallots by the household sector this year increased by 512% compared to 2021. The increasing demand for shallots needs to be balanced with high production and productivity. The use of consumption tuber as a planting material has several disadvantages, including decreased seed quality, the potential of carrying pests and diseases, and difficulty in storing and distributing. Planting materials from tubers require high costs, reaching 40% of the total cost. This research aims to determine the effect of types of NPK fertilizer and plant population on the growth and yield of shallot plants (Allium ascalonicum L) from seed (True Shallot Seed). The research used the Complete Randomized Block Design (RAKL) method, arranged factorially consisting of two factors, namely the type of NPK fertilizer and the plant population. The NPK fertilizers consisted of 4 levels, namely M0: without fertilization; M1: Pearl NPK; M2: NPK Phonska; and M3: NPK mixture of Urea, SP 36 and KCl, and the plant population consisted of 2 levels, namely J1: population of 50 plants/m2 and J2: population of 20 plants/m2. So, there were 8 treatment combinations which were repeated 4 times. The research results show that there was no interaction between the type of NPK fertilizer and plant population on the observed parameters. Treatments with NPK fertilizers did not have a significant effect on plant height and number of leaves at 14 and 28 days after planting (DAT) but had a significant effect at 42 DAT. Plant population only had a significant effect on plant height at 14 DAP and number of tubers/plants. The highest results for tuber/plant weight were obtained in the mixed NPK treatment, amounting to 177.38 g/plant and the lowest in the treatment without fertilizer, amounting to 155.00 g/plant. A tuber population treatment of 20 plants/m2 gave a yield of 17.36 tubers/plant.