Effect of Application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer from Vegetable and Fruit Waste on Lettuce Plants (Lactuca Sativa L.)

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach Research and Science E-ISSN 2987-226X P-ISSN 2988-0076 Volume 3 Issue 01, January 2025, Pp. 307-314 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59653/ijmars.v3i01.1437 Copyright by Author Effect of Application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer from Vegetable and Fruit Waste on Lettuce Plants (Lactuca Sativa L.) Eko Abadi Novrimansyah Universitas Muhammadiyah Kotabumi, Indonesia Corresponding Email: * Received: 27-12-2024 Reviewed: 10-05-2025 Accepted: 28-01-2025 Abstract Sustainable agriculture is an agricultural system that has the LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture) principle, namely by preserving the environment and preserving ecosystem space. The use of fruit and vegetable waste to make liquid organic fertilizer contains N, P and K which are good for plant growth. Liquid organic fertilizer formula from a mixture of vegetable waste, fruit waste and fish waste to enrich the content of macro nutrients and micro nutrients, so that it becomes a complete fertilizer for plants. This research aims to test the application of liquid organic fertilizer from urban organic waste on the growth and production of lettuce plants. The research method used was a Randomized Block Design (RAK) with one factor, with 5 treatments and repeated 3 times. The treatment given was a dose of liquid organic fertilizer derived from vegetable and fruit waste, namely P0 0 ml/ L, P1 20 ml/ L, P2 40 ml/ L, P3 60 ml/ L, P4 80 ml/ L. Observations included element content macro nutrients N, P, K, pH, Mo, and Fe in liquid organic fertilizer, plant height (cm), number of leaves (strands), and harvest weight (gr). The results of this research show that the liquid organic fertilizer content of vegetable and fruit waste analyzed is in accordance with SNI Kepmentan 261 of 2019. The application of liquid organic fertilizer from vegetable and fruit waste has a significant effect on the variables of plant height, number of leaves and harvest weight observed. The optimum dose of liquid organic fertilizer from vegetable and fruit waste for lettuce plants is 60ml/L/polybag. Keywords: liquid organic fertilizer, vegetable waste, fruit waste, lettuce Introduction Sustainable agriculture is an agricultural system that has the principle of LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture), namely by preserving the environment, and maintaining ecosystem space (Yuriansyah et al, 2020). One of the efforts that can be made in maintaining environmental sustainability is to pay attention to the use of fertilizers. Fertilization can be done with inorganic fertilizers or organic fertilizers (Saragih et al., 2023). The long-term use of inorganic fertilizers in the land has a negative impact on plants 307 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach Research and Science and soil fertility, therefore, organic fertilizers are a better choice (Fadhilah et al., 2021). Inorganic fertilizers have short-term benefits, but they have severe long-term side effects such as soil poisoning and decreased soil fertility. Excessive use of inorganic fertilizers in crops will have an impact on soil fertility such as a decrease in soil productivity. Soil damage caused by the use of inorganic fertilizers can be repaired by the application of organic fertilizers (Raden et al., 2017). The use of organic fertilizers has the advantages of being inexpensive, improving soil structure, texture and aeration, improving the ability to hold groundwater and stimulating the development of healthy roots (Assefa & Tadesse, 2019). Organic fertilizers are able to bind the ability of soil to absorb water, increase resistance to erosion, increase biodiversity, and increase soil fertility, but will not increase residues on plants so that they are safe for the environment and health (Lesik et al., 2019). Organic matter is a material derived from the remains of living things, such as plant residues, animal manure, and microorganisms, which can be placed in or on the ground to increase the content of organic compounds and nutrients in plants (Hasibuan, 2015). The use of fruit and vegetable waste used as liquid organic fertilizer has been carried out by several previous researchers, that waste made into compost based on fruit and vegetables produces N, P, K content that is good for plant growth (Hastuti et al., 2024). The formula of liquid organic fertilizer is made from a mixture of vegetable waste, fruit waste and fish waste to enrich the content of macronutrients and micronutrients, so that it becomes a complete fertilizer for plants (Ranasinghe et al., 2019). The results show that the content of compost fertilizer is considered good for lettuce cultivation activities. (Siahaan et al., 2024) The opportunity to use liquid organic fertilizer in increasing production needs to be accompanied by efforts to provide cheap liquid organic fertilizer (Panataria et al., 2023). The community can make liquid organic fertilizer by utilizing organic waste which has been a problem so far. The benefits of the research are reducing the amount of urban organic waste as a solution to the problems of health problems and environmental pollution, as well as providing organic fertilizers for plant cultivation in urban agriculture (Nisa et al., 2024). This study aims to test the application of liquid organic fertilizer from urban organic waste to the growth and production of lettuce plants. (Kusnadi et al., 2024) Literature Review Lettuce Plant (Lactuca sativa L.) It has the advantages of a short harvest life, extensive post-harvest adaptation and is not affected by temperature changes (Pracaya and Kartika, 2016). One of the businesses that can improve the quality or production of lettuce is by diversifying cultivation patterns to maintain land fertility and also for sustainable agriculture (Munthe et al, 2018). 308 Effect of Application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer from Vegetable and Fruit Waste on Lettuce Plants (Lactuca Sativa L.) Research Method Research for waste collection and making fruit and vegetable compost was carried out in Gading Rejo, Pringsewu, Lampung Province. This research was conducted in August – November 2023. The ingredients used are: Belini lettuce seeds (Cap Pertiwi), leftover vegetables (family Cruciferae), leftover fruits (tomatoes, bananas, papayas, oranges), EM-4, water, and molasses. Then, the tools used are: buckets, tarpaulins, shredders, padlocks, stirrers, polybags, digital scales, measuring instruments, stationery, scissors, and labels. This research begins with making compost, thereis composting that requires the collection of leftover vegetable and fruit waste in the market. After collecting, star fruit waste is weighed as much as 50 kg each. After weighing, waste is shredded using a shredding machine. After that, the waste is processed, organic matter is stockpiled and given 50 ml of EM-4 liquid, 3 liters of molasses, and 5 liters of water. Organic matter is fermented for 30 days. Stir well once (...truncated)