Plant growth
Doses of NPK fertilizer and genotypes was significant effect on plant growth attributes of cutleat groundcherry
i.e. plant height, leaf area, number of leaf and shoot dry weight (Fig 1). Plant height of Cutleaf groundcherry genotypes had different response to increased fertilizer doses. In PA 01 genotype, the highest plant height (66.83 cm) was found with NPK 225 kg ha
-1 (Fig 1A), while in PA 02 genotype addition of NPK 150 kg ha
-1 and 225 kg ha
-1 showed no significant differences for plant height (64.17 and 67.67 cm) and PA 03 genotype shown plant height of cutleat groundcherry addition of NPK 150 kg ha
-1 higher (75.67 cm) than NPK 75 kg ha
-1 (65.33 cm) and NPK 225 kg ha
-1 showed the highest plant height (77.50 cm). Similar result was reported by
Siddiq et al., (2011).
Each genotype of cutleaf groundcherry has a different leaf area for each NPK application. The leaf area of the cutleaf groundcherry was directly proportional to the application of NPK fertilizer. In the PA 01, application of NPK 225 kg ha
-1 increased leaf area 20.67% compared with application of NPK 75 kg ha
-1 (Fig 1B). While, in PA 02 genotype, application of NPK 150 kg ha
-1 increased leaf area 10.26% compared with application of NPK 75 kg ha
-1 and application of NPK 225 kg ha
-1 increased leaf area 33.83% compared with application of NPK 75 kg ha
-1. The highest of increased leaf area area was found in the application of NPK 225 kg ha
-1 in PA 03 genotype was 62.13% compared with application of NPK 75 kg ha
-1. Similar was reported by
Ali and Singh (2017);
Sarfraz et al., (2021) that NPK fertilizer correlates with increasing photoassimilates, which the assimilate was used to increased leaf area, increase the number of leaf and leads to greater shoot dry weight.
The application NPK fertilizer doses did not significant increased number of leaf in PA 01 genotype, but in PA 02 and PA 03 genotypes significant increased number of leaf (Fig 1C). The maximum number of leaf per plant of PA 02 genotype (471.83) was found with NPK with a dose of 225 kg ha
-1, while in PA 03 genotype presented of NPK 150 kg ha
-1 (461.17) and 225 kg ha
-1 (468.67) were not significantly different. Similar was reported by
Dalai et al., (2021) and
Sarfraz et al., (2021).
The application of NPK fertilizer at a dose of 75 kg ha
-1 showed the minimum shoot dry weight in PA 01, PA 02 and PA 03 (Fig 1D). In PA 01 genotype, the maximum shoot dry weight (52.33 g) was found in the application NPK with a dose 225 kg ha
-1, the same response in the PA 02 and PA 03 genotype the maximum shoot dry weight was found with NPK with a dose 225 kg ha
-1 i.e. 83.17 g (PA 02) and 98.00 g (PA 03). Among three of genotypes, PA 03 had the highest shoot dry weight and plant growth. Similar was reported by
Bonela et al., (2017) and
Dalai et al., (2021).
Nutrient uptake
In observing nutrient uptake, each genotype had a different response to NPK doses. Application of higher doses of NPK increased the value of nutrient uptake. The highest nitrogen uptake in all genotypes (PA 01, PA 02 and PA 03) was found with the application of fertilizers with a dose of 225 kg ha
-1 (Fig 2A). PA 03 genotype had higher nitrogen uptake compared than PA 01 and PA 02 genotypes. The phosphorus uptake in the PA 01, PA 02 and PA 03 genotypes were increased with increasing of doses NPK fertilizer. The phosphorus uptake was higher with the application NPK of 225 kg ha
-1 (Fig 2B). The phosphorus uptake in the PA 01 and PA 03 genotypes were better than the PA 02 genotype. The potassium uptake in the PA 01 and PA 02 genotypes at doses of 75 kg ha
-1 was lower than 150 kg ha
-1 and 225 kg ha
-1 (Fig 2C). The potassium uptake in PA 01, PA 02 and PA 03 genotypes at a dose of 225 kg ha
-1 were higher than dose of 150 kg ha
-1. This result similar was reported by
Adekiya and Agbede (2009) and
Varma et al., (2017) application of NPK fertilizer show significant increased NPK content and uptake in shoot of tomato and mungbean.
Fertilizer plays an important role for increasing growth, yield and quality of plant
(Zou et al., 2009). An NPK fertilizer (16:16:16) fertilizer can increase the biomass accumulated by plants. High plant growth result from fertilizer application, which leads to higher dry mass production. Nitrogen functions in the vegetative growth of plant, as a nutrient essential for cell division and cell elongation. Nitrogen is a constituent of protoplasm, which is widely found in plant tissue such as in growth points (Van
Averbeke et al., 2007). Plant dry weight depends on photosynthesis and growth rate.
Qadri et al., (2015) reported that nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are part of essential nutrient and required for production of meristematic and physiological activities such as leaf, roots, shoots, dry matter, which leads to efficient translocation of water, nutrient, interception of solar radiation and fixation carbon dioxide.
Adekiya and Agbede (2009);
Hussein and Alva (2014) added that nitrogen, phosphorus play important role in increasing dry matter due to their function of developing wider root zone, allowing plant to absorb water and nutrient more deeply. Increasing phosphorus usage can increase the dry weight of leaf and stems in plants.
Yield and quality
Based on analysis of variance, there was no interaction between cutleaf groundcherry genotypes and NPK fertilizer doses on the number of fruits and fruit weight. Each cutlleaf groundcherry genotypes resulted in different number of fruits. The application of NPK fertilizer at a dose 150 kg ha
-1 and 225 kg ha
-1 was proven to increase the number of fruits (Fig 3A). In PA 03 genotype produced the highest number of fruits (455.83) followed by PA 02 (308.06) and PA 01 (313.00) genotypes (Fig 3B). Same as the number of fruit, the fruit weight of cutleaf groundcherry increased with the application of NPK fertilizer with doses of 150 kg ha
-1 and 225 kg ha
-1 (Fig 3C). PA 03 also had the highest fresh weight of fruit per plant (933.21 g), while PA 02 and PA 03 were not significantly different of fresh weight of fruit (Fig 3D). The application of NPK 225 kg ha
-1 resulted in both higher number of fruits and fresh weight of fruits compared to NPK 75 kg ha
-1 and NPK 150 kg ha
-1.
Rosa et al., (2016); Varma et al., (2017); Woldemariam et al., (2018); Sachan and Krishna (2020) also reported that the availability of sufficient nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium would increased metabolism processes in plants as a result the plant yields more higher.
Genotypes varied among themselves with respect to growth and yield of cutleaf groundcherry.
Isah et al., (2014) also reported significant difference in the total fruit yield of tomatoes among different varieties. According to
Adekiya and Agbede (2009), the differences of the growth and yield of each variety generally depend on the physiological processes in plants, which were controlled by plant genetics and the environmental conditions.
Golubkina et al., (2018) also reported that each variety shows a different response to nutrition in relation to the genetic material of each individual plant and the physiological processes in the plant.
NPK fertilizer with doses 75 kg ha
-1 showed a higher beta-carotene content in cutleaf groundcherry. In PA 01 genotype, NPK fertilizer at dose of 75 kg ha
-1 produced the higher betacarotene (0.16 mg 100 g
-1) than an application NPK fertilizer at dose 225 kg ha
-1. The same response in PA 02 and PA 03 ganotypes the highest betacarotene (0.13 mg 100 g
-1 and 0.21 mg 100 g
-1) was found in the application of NPK 75 kg ha
-1 (Fig 4A). From three genotype, PA 03 showed a higher beta-carotene content than PA 01 and PA 02. Similar was reported by
Leite et al., (2018) and
Petropoulos et al., (2020) that low fertilization producer of phytochemical compounds higher than high fertilization in cutleat groundcherry and potato.
Observation of ascorbic acid showed that the application of fertilizer at a dose of 150 kg ha
-1 had the higher of ascorbic acid (0.85 mg 100 g
-1) than at a dose of 225 kg ha
-1 (0.60 mg 100 g
-1) (Fig 4B). The genotype of PA 03 had the ascorbic acid content higher (0.78 mg 100 g
-1) than PA01 (0.65 mg 100 g
-1) and PA 02 (0.68 mg 100 g
-1) (Fig 4C). Similar was reported by
Cintya et al., (2018), higher dose inorganic fertilizer cause decreased ascorbic acid content in lettuce, spinach, bok choy and mustard. The NPK doses and genotypes were not significantly different the total soluble of solid (Fig 4D, 4E).