The growth, chlorophyll content and stomata shape in banana cv. Barangan Merah seedlings due to application two type foliar fertilizer

Abstract Banana cv. Barangan Merah does not produce seedlings and one way to propagate is by in vitro culture. After acclimatization, the seedlings must be well maintained before being transferred to the field. Fertilization in this stage is one of the treatments that is very important because it affects the growth of the banana seedlings. This study aims to determine the effect of inorganic fertilizer and organic fertilizer given through the leaves on banana seedlings cv. Barangan Merah. resulting from in vitro culture. The seedlings used from the acclimatization of banana cv. Barangan Merah from the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Faculty of Agricultural, University of Syiah Kuala. The experiment used two types of fertilizers given through the leaves, namely inorganic foliar fertilizer (Gandasil D) and liquid organic fertilizer (BioSugih Tani). The results of this research showed that inorganic foliar fertilizer showed better growth than the application of liquid organic fertilizer and controls for the parameters of increasing leaf size (leaf length and width), plant height, stem diameter, and chlorophyll content. The greater increase in number of leaves on banana seedlings was shown by the liquid organic fertilizer treatment. The stomata shape of banana cv. Barangan Merah did not differ across treatment.