| dc.description.abstract | Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic plant that grows rapidly, leading to dense populations that disrupt aquatic ecosystems, and is therefore classified as a weed. However, water hyacinth contains organic matter and essential nutrients for plants, making it a potential source of organic fertilizer. This study aims to evaluate the effect of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) application and NPK fertilization on the growth and nutrient uptake of maize (Zea mays L.). Water hyacinth is an aquatic weed with potential as green manure due to its organic matter content and nutrients that can be utilized by plants. The research was conducted at the experimental field of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sumatera Utara, Medan Baru District, Medan City, North Sumatra Province, from December 2024 to April 2025. The experimental design used was a factorial randomized block design (RBD) with two factors and four replications. The first factor was the application rate of water hyacinth (0 g/polybag, 200 g/polybag, and 400 g/polybag), and the second factor was the NPK fertilizer dosage (15 g/polybag and 30 g/polybag). Data were analyzed using the Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at a 5% significance level. The results of the study showed that the application of water hyacinth had a significant effect on increasing plant height, leaf length and width, stem diameter, shoot weight, root weight, and nutrient uptake. The application of NPK fertilizer did not show a significant effect on any of the observed parameters. There was no significant interaction between water hyacinth application and NPK fertilization on the growth and nutrient uptake of maize plants. | en_US |
