Potato growth, yield and quality affected by calcium and nitrogen (CaN) compound fertilizers on andisol soil type in Lembang

The use of artificial chemical fertilizers that are very intensive and not in accordance with the availability of soil nutrients, has a negative impact on decreasing agricultural soil fertility and vegetable productivity. The aim of this experiment was to obtain an effective and efficient dose of compound fertilizer (Ca and N) for potato plants in Andisol soil type, Lembang. The experiment was carried out at Margahayu Experimental Field of Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute (IVEGRI) (1250 m asl), from June to November 2021. A randomized block design was used with 8 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments consisted of without N fertilizer, standard N single fertilizer, and 6 doses of compound fertilizer (33% Ca and 17% N). The results showed that, in general, CaN compound fertilizers increase the growth of potato plants. The application of compound fertilizer at 75% of N standard (300 kg/ha of CaN fertilizer) was the most effective dose for fertilizing potato plants on Andisol soil type in Lembang. This dose can save the use of N by 25% with a Relative Agronomic Effectiveness (RAE) value of 140%. This study showed that the use of CaN compound fertilizers at a dose of 300 kg/ha can not only reduce fertilizer input into the soil, but also increase potato yields.