The effect of different doses of biofertilizers and concentrations of palm olein diethanolamide biosurfactant on the growth of cocoa seedlings

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of varying doses of biofertilizer and the concentration of palm oil diethanolamide (DEA) biosurfactant and to analyze the potential interaction of both on the growth of cocoa seedlings ( Theobroma cacao L.). This study used a randomized complete block design with two factors. The first factor is the dose of biofertilizer (0, 10 and 20 ml), the second factor is the concentration of DEA biosurfactant (0, 5, 10 and 15%) and 3 replications. An experimental unit consisted of two cocoa seedlings. A biofertilizer consisting of a consortium of microbes, including Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Azospirillum, was applied to cacao seedlings. The results showed that the biofertilizer dosage had a significant effect on the number of leaves after 4 weeks of treatment. The concentration of DEA biosurfactant had no significant effect on any of the parameters The interaction between the dose of biofertilizer and the concentration of DEA biosurfactant affected plant height after 8 weeks. The interaction between the treatment without biofertilizer with 5% DEA and the treatment of biofertilizer 20 ml/seedling with 15% DEA was significant.