Efektivitas Pupuk ZA (Amonium Sulfat) pada Tanaman Jagung Manis (Zea mays L. Saccharata) | Effectiveness of ZA Fertilizer (Ammonium Sulfate) on Sweet Corn Plants (Zea mays L. Saccharata)

Jagung manis (Zea mays L. Saccharata) merupakan salah satu tanaman serealia yang banyak dikonsumsi di Indonesia. Tingkat konsumsi yang tinggi tentu harus diiringi dengan peningkatan produktivitas agar kebutuhan akan jagung senantiasa tercukupi. Salah satu upaya yang dapat dilakukan adalah menggunakan pupuk sesuai dosis yang direkomendasikan. Pupuk ZA diketahui mampu meningkatkan produktivitas serta menambah efisiensi dalam kegiatan budidaya pada skala luas. Pupuk ZA atau amonium sulfat adalah salah satu pupuk sumber N. Pupuk ZA mengandung unsur N sebesar 20–21% serta unsur sulfur (S) sebesar 24%. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan IPB Sindangbarang Sabisa Farm, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat selama 3 bulan, dari bulan November 2023 hingga Januari 2024. Percobaan ini menggunakan Rancangan Kelompok Lengkap Teracak (RKLT) dengan 1 faktor. Perlakuan dosis pupuk disusun dalam 6 taraf pemupukan yaitu: (0) perlakuan kontrol tanpa pupuk Nitrogen, (1) perlakuan pembanding (NPK standar), (2) perlakuan 0,5 dosis pupuk ZA, (3) perlakuan 1,0 dosis pupuk ZA, (4) perlakuan 1,5 dosis pupuk ZA, (5) perlakuan 2,0 dosis pupuk ZA. Hasil dari penelitian ini terhadap pertumbuhan vegetatif hampir seluruhnya berbeda nyata. Pada hasil generatif, hasil tertinggi dicapai oleh perlakuan P4, yang memiliki nilai efektivitas agronomi relatif (EAR) 126,58%. Nilai tersebut lebih tinggi dibandingkan perlakuan standar (P1) yang bernilai 95%.

Sweet corn (Zea mays L. Saccharata) is one of the most widely consumed cereal crops in Indonesia. The high level of consumption must be accompanied by an increase in productivity so that the need for corn is always fulfilled. One of the approaches that can be undertaken is the application of fertilizers in accordance with the recommended dosage. ZA fertilizer is considered capable of increasing productivity and improving efficiency in large-scale cultivation practices. ZA fertilizer or ammonium sulfate is one of the N source fertilizers. ZA fertilizer contains 20-21% N and 24% sulfur (S). The research was carried out at the IPB Sindangbarang Sabisa Farm Experimental Field, Bogor City, West Java for 3 months, from November 2023 to January 2024. This experiment uses a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 1 factor. The fertilizer dose treatment was arranged in 6 levels of fertilization, namely: (0) control treatment without Nitrogen fertilizer, (1) comparison treatment (standard NPK), (2) treatment with 0.5 dose of ZA fertilizer, (3) treatment with 1.0 dose of ZA fertilizer, (4) treatment with 1.5 doses of ZA fertilizer, (5) treatment with 2.0 doses of ZA fertilizer. The results of this research on vegetative growth were almost entirely significantly different. In terms of generative results, the highest results were achieved by the P4 treatment, which had a relative agronomic effectiveness (EAR) value of 126.58%. This value was higher than the standard treatment (P1) which had a value of 95%.