Effects of Different Media Composition on Growth and Productivity of Oryza sativa L.

Background and Objective: Rice is a major staple food in Asia and its productivity is very much influenced among others by the composition of growing media. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of different growing media composition on the growth and productivity of Oryza sativa var. INPARI 30 Ciherang Sub-1. Materials and Methods: Cultivation of Oryza sativa var. INPARI 30 Ciherang Sub-1 was carried out using a water recirculation system in a screen house located at Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jatinangor with a light intensity of 17000-20000 lux, temperature of 25-31EC and relative humidity of 35-65%. The composition of the growing media was varied to determine the best combination of soil, sand, cocopeat, biochar and compost on water holding capacity, plant height, number leaves, number of tillers, number of effective tillers, weight of biomass and productivity of the harvested rice. Results: The growing media composition highly influenced plant growth and productivity of the harvested rice. Best results were obtained when Oryza sativa var. INPARI 30 Ciherang Sub-1 was cultivated using soil: compost: biochar (a ratio of 2:2:1) with an estimated rice productivity of 0.18 kg mG2 per harvest. Conclusion: It was concluded that an appropriate combination of soil, biochar and compost may be recommended as a growing media for cultivation of Oryza sativa var. INPARI 30 Ciherang Sub-1 using a water recirculation system.