Growth of Cacao Seedlings After A Combination of Coconut Water Solution and Onion Extract Treatment

Abstract Cacao productivity in Indonesia has gradually decreased every year. Cacao plants that reach the age of 25-30 years will experience a decline in productivity. Efforts to address this issue involve replacing old plants with new ones. This research aimed to determine the interaction between the application of coconut water solution and onion extract on the growth of cacao seedlings. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD) factorial consisting of 2 factors with 3 replications. The first factor is K0 = without coconut water; K1 = 40% coconut water; K2 = 60% coconut water; and K3 = 80% coconut water, while the second factor is T0 = without onion extract; T1 = 40% onion extract; T2 = 60% onion extract; and T3 = 80% onion extract. The results of the research are: (1) the interaction between the application of coconut water solution and onion extract significantly affected plant height, stem diameter, and root length with the best treatment being K2T2 (coconut water solution 60% and onion extract 60%); (2) the effect of coconut water solution significantly affected root dry weight with the best treatment being K1 (coconut water solution 40%); and (3) the effect of onion extract significantly affected shoot dry weight with the best treatment being T1 (onion extract 40%).