The Effect of Urea Fertilizer Doses and Growing Media on the Growth and Yield of Pakcoy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis)

Abstract

Pakcoy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis L.) is a leafy vegetable whose growth and yield are influenced by growing media and nitrogen availability. This study aimed to determine the effects of growing media, urea fertilizer doses, and their interaction on the growth and yield of pakcoy. The experiment was conducted in Presak Timur, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, from May to June 2026, using a 2 × 5 factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The first factor was growing media, namely soil + rice husk (1:1, v/v) and soil + cocopeat (1:1, v/v), while the second factor was urea dose of 0, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 g/polybag. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance at a 5% significance level When significant effects were found, Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference test was used. The findings demonstrated that compared to soil + rice husk, soil + cocopeat generally produced higher plant height, leaf number, and leaf area. Plant height, leaf number, leaf area, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight were all greatly impacted by urea, with 1.00 g/polybag typically yielding the greatest results. Plant height at 14–28 days after planting, leaf number at 35 days, fresh weight, and dry weight all showed significant relationships. The highest fresh weight (90.99 g) and dry weight (9.01 g) were produced by the M2D3 combination (soil + cocopeat + 1.00 g urea/polybag). Therefore, in order to support pakcoy development and biomass production under the experimental conditions, soil + cocopeat mixed with 1.00 g urea/polybag is advised.