THE IMPACT OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER FROM TEMBANG FISH (

This research aims to determine the impact of administering varying quantities of liquid organic fertilizer obtained from tembang fish (Sardinella fimbriata) and coconut water (Cocos nucifera L) on the development and productivity of bird's eye chili plants (Capsicum frutescens L). This study was carried out in North Penajam Paser Regency from April to July 2023. This study employs a quantitative research methodology using a randomized factorial group (RAKF) design. The design has 2 factors, each with 16 treatments, and is replicated 4 times. The measured variables consist of plant height (in centimeters), leaf count (in strands), and fresh fruit weight (in grams). The results showed that treatment P2 (25 mL POC coconut water) had a real influence on the height parameters of bird's eye chili plants. Treatment P2 showed the highest average at the age of 70 and 79 HST, namely 44 cm and 45.5 cm. Meanwhile, treatment P16 (35 mL POC of tembang fish and 75 mL POC of coconut water) results demonstrate a notable influence on the parameters of leaf number and fresh fruit weight. The P16 treatment showed the highest average number of leaves at 56, 70 and 79 HST, namely 229, 245.75 and 326 strands. Furthermore, P16 treatment produced the highest average fresh fruit weight, namely 29 grams


INTRODUCTION
Bird's eye chili, scientifically known as Capsicum frutescens L, is a type of horticultural plant with elongated round shape in the genus Capsicum (Suriana, 2019).Varieties such as Pelita 8, Sonar, Bara, Taruna, Dewata, Nirmala, Lentera, Raga, Bhaskara, Maruti, and Cakra are the most commonly grown chili varieties in Indonesia (Dekebo, 2020) condiment or seasoning in everyday cooking because of its spicy taste, appealing color, and rich nutritional content.Its contents include calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and medicinal substances such as capsaicin, bioflavonoids and essential oils (Fitriningtyas et al., 2019).
The increasing population each year leads to a rise in demand for bird's eye chili commodities in the market.According to BPS data, Indonesian families used 10.25% more bird's eye chili in 2021 compared to the previous year.The increase in production commodities was also recorded in 2020 in East Kalimantan, where bird's eye chili production rose to 90,810 kg, compared to only 80,293 kg in 2019.This was accompanied by a population increase reaching 3.7 million people in 2020 (BPS East Kalimantan, 2021).Based on this, it can be concluded that the increase in demand for bird's eye chili commodities occurs due to population growth in a region, particularly in East Kalimantan.
The increase in bird's eye chili production aligns with the use of fertilizers to support plant productivity.Farmers usually still use chemical fertilizers to encourage plant growth because chemical fertilizers have faster substances or nutrients with higher content (Mebinta et al., 2020).The fastest and most effective fertilizer is chemical fertilizer.Chemical fertilizers have the advantage of providing nutrients quickly and increasing yields efficiently.However, excessive use can cause damage to the physical structure of the soil, reduces the carrying capacity of the soil, and causes the death of microorganisms in the soil (Nuraida et al., 2021).Therefore, an alternative is needed to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers by using biologically based fertilizers made from organic materials.
Organic fertilizer is a byproduct containing plant or animal materials from natural processes such as decomposition or degradation by microorganism activities (Puryani & Mangku, 2023).Most organic fertilizers are available in solid form (compost) or liquid form (liquid organic fertilizer (LOF)).Liquid organic fertilizer is a fertilizer made from various organic materials found in dead plants and animals (Warintan et al., 2021).Liquid organic fertilizer contains ingredients in the form of organic compounds, namely proteins or amino acids and other substances that stimulate growth and increase plant productivity (Silalahi et al., 2020).The advantages of liquid organic fertilizer are easy to make, easily absorbed by plants, costeffective, have varied nutrient content among organic material sources, help revitalize soil fertility, and facilitating the decomposition process (Sitanggang et al., 2022).
The materials used as liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) in this study are tembang fish (Sardinella fimbriata) and coconut water (Cocos nucifera L).Tembang fish (Sardinella fimbriata) belongs to the Clupeidae family, small in size, and abundant in number.This fish measures around 7.5-19 cm for females and 7.9-16.5 cm for males (Rivera et al., 2017 especially in Penajam Paser Utara Regency. Tembang fish have many spines and scales on their bodies, making them often used for making salted fish.However, if there is an excess stock in the market, this fish tends to be discarded because its demand is limited to consumption as salted fish.Meanwhile, this fish has great potential if processed into liquid organic fertilizer because it contains relatively high protein content of around 16% (Tay & Tega, 2023).The fishery waste used as liquid organic fertilizer contains organic carbon (6.93%), nitrogen (2.24%), phosphorus (1.91%), and potassium (1.81%) (Rifqi Fauzi et al., 2019).On the other hand, coconut (Cocos nucifera L), which belongs to monocot plants, utilizes the fruit part in the form of coconut water for making organic fertilizer.Coconut water is utilized because it contains plant-regulating substances such as cytokinin and auxin hormones, and it also has NPK elements in it (Sari et al., 2021).Both of these hormones can help stimulate cell elongation and accelerate cell division (Baid et al., 2022).The cytokinin content in coconut water is 0.441 ppm, kinetin is 0.247 ppm zeatin, and auxin is 0.237 ppm IAA (Sumaryani et al., 2018).Based on testing conducted by the Soil and Water Laboratory of Politani Samarinda, the content in coconut water LOF is N (0.014%), P (0.0048%), K (0.0159%) (Simpala et al., 2021).
Based on the above information, it can be seen that both organic materials have great potential to be used as liquid organic fertilizer (LOF).The content in tembang fish LOF and coconut water LOF is expected to enhance the nutrient elements and plant nutrition for bird's eye chili plants, promoting optimal growth and development while being environmentally friendly.This research aims to determine the growth and fruit production of bird's eye chili plants in response to the application of tembang fish and coconut water liquid organic fertilizers.

Equipment and Materials
The tools used in this study include polybags measuring 30×40 cm, a length measurer, a digital scale, sprayer, measuring cups, and scissors.The materials used include tembang fish, coconut water, cassava tape (fermented cassava), pineapple, molasses, and rice washing water.

Making Liquid Organic Fertilizer
The process of making tembang fish organic fertilizer begins by preparing 5 kg of tembang fish, which are then washed thoroughly with water and blended to a smooth consistency using a blender before being placed in a bucket.Next, 2 liters Vol. 15, No. 2 ( 2024 of rice washing water and 0.5 liters of molasses are added to the bucket, which is then covered for fermentation for 30 days.The mixture in the bucket is stirred for about 2 to 5 minutes every 14 days.On the other hand, the process of making coconut water liquid organic fertilizer starts with preparing 15 liters of coconut water, 15 mL of molasses, and 150 grams of cassava tape (fermented cassava).These ingredients are then mixed thoroughly in a bucket.The bucket is then tightly closed for fermentation for 14 days.
Microorganisms obtain glucose through the addition of molasses.Meanwhile, the carbohydrates contained in rice washing water serve as an energy source for microorganisms.Cassava tape is used as a substitute for EM4 (Effective Microorganisms).Pineapple is used to accelerate the fermentation process and optimize the nutrient content in the fertilizer.It contains bromelain enzyme, which helps break down proteins in organic materials into amino acids, thus making it suitable for use as organic fertilizer.

Seed Planting
The seeds used in this study are from the Dewata 76 F1 variety.Before being used, the seeds are soaked in clean water.This soaking process serves to select seeds of less good quality, resulting in the selection of seeds with good quality.Then, the seeds are planted in seedling polybags.Planting is done by making small holes about 2-3 cm deep in the middle of the polybag and then inserting the seeds into them.The seeding process takes about ± 20 days with watering done every afternoon.The next stage is the transfer of seedlings into the planting media.Seedlings ready for transplanting have criteria such as having 4-6 leaves and a straight stem.

Application of Liquid Organic Fertilizer
The liquid organic fertilizer is first applied when the plants are 14 days after planting (DAP) and reapplication is done weekly for approximately 3 months.The application of tembang fish liquid organic fertilizer is done by watering it at the root zone, while the application of coconut water liquid organic fertilizer is done by spraying it onto the leaves of the plants using a sprayer.The volume used for each application of tembang fish and coconut water liquid organic fertilizers is 100 mL per plant.
The parameters observed in this study are plant height (cm), number of leaves, and fruit weight (grams).Plant height and number of leaves are measured every 14 days.Plant height is measured from the soil surface to the tip of the highest leaf using a ruler or meter stick, while the number of leaves is counted by counting the number of leaf in each polybag.Fruit weight is measured at harvest or at 79 days after planting (DAP) using a digital scale.

Data Analysis
The observation data were analyzed using a two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).If significant treatment effects were obtained, the analysis continued with the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test with a significance level of 5%
This indicates that treatment P16 had a positive effect on the number of leaves compared to other treatments.This is likely due to the fulfillment of nutrient requirements supported by the proper dosage of fertilizer.Additionally, there was an interaction in the combined treatment, suggesting mutual influence supporting optimal leaf growth.This is supported by Nurmas & Fitriah (2011) in Rahayu et al. (2022), stating that interactions in a treatment occur when factors depend on each other.The hormone content in coconut water liquid organic fertilizer can help plants undergo cell division and stimulate plant organs to increase the number of leaves.
According to Sari et al. (2021), cytokinin hormones in coconut water can maximize leaf formation and stimulate cell division in leaf primordia, supporting leaf numbers in plants.Meanwhile, tembang fish liquid organic fertilizer contains NPK elements that can influence the number and size of leaves formed during the vegetative phase.This aligns with the views of Kurniawati et al. (2018), where nitrogen will enhance the process of photosynthesis, thus affecting the formation of plant organs such as leaves.According to Chairiyah et al. (2022), potassium functions in promoting the width and length of leaves.Potassium also strengthens leaves to prevent them from easily falling off and being susceptible to diseases.The number of leaves in plants indicates growth, where the more leaves, the better the growth, and vice versa.Plants will produce more carbohydrates during photosynthesis as the number of leaves increases.

Fruit Weight
The analysis of variance results in Table 3 indicates that treatment P16, which involves the application of 35 mL of tembang fish liquid organic fertilizer and 75 mL of coconut water liquid organic fertilizer, significantly influenced the fruit weight.Based on the subsequent LSD test at the 5% level, treatment P16 significantly differed from treatments P1, P2, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10, P11, P12, P13, P14, and P15, but not significantly different from treatment P3.
Table 3 shows that treatment P16 yielded the best fruit weight compared to other treatments.This is because the formation of bird's eye chili fruit requires more NPK nutrients.This is fulfilled by the complete content in the combination of treatment P16, which includes NPK content in tembang fish liquid organic fertilizer and growth hormones cytokinin and auxin in coconut water liquid organic fertilizer.The availability of phosphorus (P) affects the acceleration of flower formation, fruit ripening, and seed maturation.Meanwhile, potassium (K) plays a role in mobilizing enzymes involved in the synthesis of organic compounds useful for cell division and influence improvement growth of meristem tissue (Laki et al., 2021) According to Rahayu et al. (2022), optimal potassium content can affect both the quantity and weight of the fruit produced.This is supported by Nugroho et al. (2022), who stated that the provision of other nutrients such as nitrogen (N) in sufficient quantities will lead to an increase in fruit weight.This is because tissue growth increases due to the abundant production of protein in plants.The process of shoot formation occurs due to cell division, where the active role of auxin and cytokinin hormones in coconut water liquid organic fertilizer plays a part.Auxin helps in cell elongation, while cell division is aided by cytokinin hormones (Debitama et al. 2022).This aligns with Fassya et al. (2020), where increased weight is caused by cell elongation accompanied by cell division.This process is aided by the hormone content in coconut water, which can provide optimal results for the fruit weight of bird's eye chili plants.In addition to the sufficient nutrient requirements, the fruit weight of bird's eye chili plants can be influenced by the number of leaves and plant height.

CONCLUSION
The research results indicate that treatment P2, consisting of coconut water liquid organic fertilizer at a dosage of 25 mL, significantly affected the height parameter of bird's eye chili plants (Capsicum frutescens L).Treatment P2 showed the highest averages at 70 and 79 days after planting (DAP), with heights of 44 cm and 45.5 cm, respectively.Meanwhile, treatment P16, a combination of tembang fish liquid organic fertilizer at a dosage of 35 mL and coconut water liquid organic fertilizer at a dosage of 75 mL, significantly influenced the parameters of leaf count and fruit weight.Treatment P16 showed the highest averages in terms of leaf count at 56, 70, and 79 DAP, with 229 leaves, 245.75 leaves, and 326 leaves, respectively.Furthermore, treatment P16 yielded the highest average fruit weight at 29 grams.