Pengaruh Pemberian Pupuk Kandang Sapi dan MSG (Monosodium glutamate) terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Produksi Cabai Rawit (Capsicum frutescens)

Abstract

Cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) is one of the important horticultural commodities in Indonesia that is widely used in households and food industries; therefore, its demand continues to increase annually. The application of cow manure to the growing medium can improve soil fertility and supply essential nutrients required for plant growth. In addition, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is considered a potential alternative fertilizer because it contains compounds essential for plants, particularly nitrogen. This research was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, located at coordinates 3°33′24.9″ N and 98°39′14.9″ E, at an altitude of 25 m above sea level, in June 2025. The study employed a factorial randomized block design consisting of two factors with two replications. The first factor was the dosage of cow manure (0 g/polybag, 50 g/polybag, 75 g/polybag, and 100 g/polybag), while the second factor was the dosage of MSG (0 g/polybag, 3 g/polybag, 6 g/polybag, and 9 g/polybag). The results showed that the application of cow manure to the growing medium had a significant effect on plant height, stem diameter, flowering time, fresh root weight, dry root weight, fresh shoot weight, dry shoot weight, and yield of cayenne pepper. The application of MSG did not significantly affect stem diameter, flowering time, and yield of cayenne pepper plants, but it had a significant effect on plant height. The interaction between cow manure application and MSG significantly affected the number of productive branches of cayenne pepper plants, with the highest mean obtained from the combination of cow manure (100 g/polybag) and MSG (6 g/polybag).