Growth and fruit yield of sponge gourd (Luffa acutangulaL.) as influenced by combination of plant spacing and chicken manure

Abstract

This study aims to determine the growth and yield of sponge gourd (Luffa acutangula L.) by adjusting the spacing and doses of chicken manure. A field experiment was conducted at experimental station of Brawijaya University, Malang Regency, East Java. This study used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with one combination factor. The treatment combination is plant spacing + chicken manure doses, which consist of: P0 = 60 x 50 cm + 4 t ha−1, P1 = 40 x 50 cm + 4 t ha−1, P2 = 60 x 50 cm + 6 t ha−1, P3 = 40 x 50 cm + 6 t ha−1, P4 = 60 x 50 cm + 8 t ha−1, P5 = 40 x 50 cm + 8 t ha−1. Obsevation variables are number of Leaves, plant length, leaf area, fruit weight per fruit and fruit weight per plant, number of fruits, and yield of fruit. The results showed that the treatment with a spacing of 40 × 50 cm + 8 t ha−1 chicken manure significant increasing the growth and fruit yield of sponge gourd. However, the fruit weight per plant with a spacing of 60 × 50 cm + 8 t ha−1 chicken manure had a higher value than the treatment with a spacing of 40 × 50 cm + 8 t ha−1 chicken manure. R/C ratio of all treatments are more than one. The treatment with a spacing of 40 × 50 cm + 8 t ha−1 chicken manure is not only feasible to cultivate, but can also be used for sustainable agriculture.