INCREASED GROWTH AND YIELD OF LOCAL SUMATRAN RED CHILI VARIETIES BY GIVING HUMIC ACID UNDER LIMITED SOIL WATER AVAILIBILITY

Research aimed at increasing the production and productivity of various Local Sumatran red chili varieties under limited soil water availability using humic acid was carried out from May to October 2022, at the Teaching and Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Jambi University (35 m above sea level). The research used a Randomized Block Design with a factorial pattern and three replications. The first factor is the dose of humic acid: 0 kgha-1; 5 kgha-1; and 10 kgha-1, and the second factor is Local Sumatran red chili varieties: Vitra; Loker Telun Berasap; and Awe Aceh. The research results showed that various red chili varieties gave the same response to the application of humic acid under limited soil water availability of 75% FC. Humic acid can increase the growth and yield of red chilies, and a dose of 10 kgha-1 provides the best growth and yields for red chilies. The Loker variety provides better plant height, number of branches, crown diameter, and fruit number than other varieties, but produces the lowest fruit weight. Meanwhile, the Vitra and Awe varieties, although their growth is relatively not as good as Loker, are capable of producing high fruit weights. The Loker variety, which is a red chili variety from the Kerinci highlands, has not been able to adapt well to the lowlands of Jambi. One effort to increase the ability of the Loker variety to produce better quality fruit is to combine humic acid with liquid fertilizer during fruit enlargement.