Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Kenikir (Cosmos caudatus Kunth.) is a floricultural commodity commonly utilized for its leaves and flowers. Its high antioxidant content, particularly phenolic and flavonoid compounds, makes this plant widely used as a functional food ingredient that contributes to health maintenance and supports herbal medicine applications. As a tropical plant that grows optimally in Indonesia, Cosmos caudatus holds significant potential for extensive cultivation through proper management practices. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different growing media on the growth of Cosmos caudatus based on several parameters: plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, number of nodes, and number of branches. The research employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five treatments of growing media: soil (P1), soil supplemented with NPK Mutiara 16:16:16 fertilizer (P2), a mixture of 90% compost, 9% vermicompost, and 1% insectfrass (P3), a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of soil and compost (P4), and a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of cocopeat and compost (P5). Statistical analysis using ANOVA at a 95% confidence level revealed that variation in growing media had a significant effect on plant height from the 3rd to the 11th week after planting (WAP), leaf area from the 3rd to the 7th WAP, and the number of leaves from the 3rd to the 5th WAP. No significant effect was observed on the number of nodes and number of branches. The best treatment was the soil and compost mixture (P4) for plant height, and soil medium (P1) for both leaf number and leaf area of Cosmos caudatus.