The application of root zone cooling in various hydroponic methods for potato seed production in lowland wet tropics of Indonesia

Abstract

The application of root zone cooling in aeroponic systems is an alternative method to enhance potato seed production in lowland tropical areas. This method requires further investigation of various hydroponic systems in lowland areas to improve seed production. Therefore, this research aimed to obtain growth and yield for potato seed using root zone cooling in aeroponic and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) in lowland areas of Indonesia. The factors tested included hydroponic type (H): H1 (Aeroponics) and H2 (NFT), as well as origin of tubers: U1 (shoot cuttings), U2 (root cuttings), and U3 (tubers). A factorial randomized block design was used with four replicates and the data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA. In cases of treatment effects, further comparisons were made using the DMRT test at a 5% significance level. The results showed that aeroponic with root zone cooling application yielded higher average plant height, leaf count, tuber count, and weight compared to NFT system. The average number of seed produced in aeroponic ranged from 9.6 to 12.2 tubersplant^-1, while 1.0 to 1.2 tubersplant^-1was obtained in NFT system. Furthermore, the highest average seed weight was obtained from aeroponic, ranging from 3.3 to 3.5 g, and 0.8 to 1 g in NFT.

Keywords: aeroponic, seed, lowland, potato, NFT (Nutrient Film Technique), wet tropics, root zone cooling