Agronomic Character of Ratoon Rice: Stem Cutting Sizes and Seprint Liquid Organic Fertilizer

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to identify the optimum rice stem cutting size combined with the application of Seprint liquid organic fertilizer (SLOF) to promote the growth and yield of ratoon rice. This research was conducted in a greenhouse at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, from January to August 2018. The experiment was set up as a completely randomized design factorial with four replications. The first factor consisted of the cutting sizes of the rice stem (R1 = 5 cm, R2 = 10 cm, and R3 = 15 cm) and the second factor involved the SLOF dosage (S1 = 5 mL L −1 , S2 = 10 mL L −1 , and S3 = 15 mL L −1 ). The parameters were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the means were determined by Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT). The results showed that the R2 treatment significantly increased the ratoon rice height at 10 to 30 days after cutting (DAC), the number of tillers at 40 to 60 DAC, the number of productive tillers, and the yield per hectare. The S2 and S3 applications at significantly increased the yield per hill and ratoon rice height at 20 DAC. The R2S1 and R2S2 combination treatments significantly increased the number of filled grains per panicle and the ratoon rice height at 10 DAC. Cutting the stems at 10 cm combined with various dosages of SLOF resulted in greater growth and yield of ratoon rice for achieving an adequate food supply.