The effect of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) organic fertilizer on the vegetative growth of Manado strain yellow maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Introduction: The invasion of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), a freshwater weed, has been an unsolved problem in many lakes around the world, including in Tondano lake, Indonesia. Since the 2000s, many efforts to eliminate it have turned unsuccessful and uneconomical. Here, we aim to provide a solution and perform a systematic study to utilize water hyacinth as an organic fertilizer for application to local crops, the Manado strain yellow maize. Methods: Water hyacinth was manually harvested and fermented using an effective microbial fermentation for one month. The resulting compost was analyzed chemically and applied to bedding groups of maize at increasing doses: 0, 100, 150, 200, and 250 grams per plant. All beddings were made in triplicate, consisting of 8-10 plants per repeat. At 2 and 12 weeks post plantation, a series of measurements of plant height, leaf length, and leaf width was performed. Data were analyzed using one- or two-way ANOVA. Results: The application of water hyacinth organic fertilizer had readily shown beneficial effects on vegetative growth at 2 weeks of age in terms of plant height, leaves length and leaves width at the dose of 200 and 250 grams of fertilizer per plant. This effect persisted up to 12 weeks of age in terms of plant height, but not in leaves length or width. Conclusion: The application of water hyacinth organic fertilizer is able to increase the vegetative growth of the local Manado strain of yellow maize at the dose of 200 grams per plant.