PEMANFAATAN AKAR Tithonia diversifolia TERINFEKSI CENDAWAN MIKORIZA ARBUSKULA SEBAGAI INOKULUM TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN PRODUKSI JAGUNG
Tithonia (Tithonia diversifolia) has been known as shrubs having potential as a green manure crop. Its growth exceeding legume in poor soil nutrients is strongly influenced by mycorhyzosphere. This study tried to use infected root of tithonia as innoculant of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). The purpose of this research was to study the effect of a given amount of root of tithonia as AMF innoculants on the growth and yield of maize. The study was designed in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 5 replicates. The treatment used in this experiment was amount of innoculum consisting of 4 levels: without innoculum (0 g), 10 g, 20 g, and 30 g of innoculum per pot. The results obtained showed that tithonia roots infected with AMF could be used as innoculum. It also caused plant height, dry weight of straw, and P- uptake by crops significantly increased. The use of 20 g of innoculum was the best treatment in this experiment which could increase the weight of dry maize straw to 69.67 g per pot which was significantly different from treatment without innoculation. At the same treatment was also found that the best nutrients (N, P, and K) uptake was determined on straw. Innoculation of AMF using tithonia roots affected the increase in frequency and intensity of infection and numbers of spores found in maize rhizosphere.Keywords: arbuscular-mycorrhiza, innoculation, maize, production, tithonia