Mustard is a type of green plant that consumed as food. Mustard plants have short, slim stems. The main leaf vein is narrower than Chinese cabbage, but the leaves are more clay. In general, the growth pattern of the leaves is scattered so that it is difficult to form a crop.
Mustard has a taproot with many side roots, but shallow. The flowers are similar to Chinese cabbage, but the bunch is shorter. Flower bud size is smaller with a specific pale-yellow color. The size of the seeds is small and brownish black. The seeds are on both sides of the wall which are fatter in the bulkhead. Almost everyone likes to eat mustard greens because it tastes fresh (delicious) and contains lots of vitamin A, vitamin B, and a little vitamin C.
Mustard is easy to plant in the lowlands, as well as in the highlands. However, mustard greens are planted more in the lowlands, especially in the yard because the maintenance is easier. This type of mustard greens is best if planted in a rather dry place or tagged.
Mustard plants can be harvested after two months of age. Mustard is harvested by pulling or cutting the stem above the ground. There are also people harvesting the results by way of picking the leaves one by one. The last way to harvest is to make the plants last longer. Mustard plants that are well maintained and healthy can produce 10 -15 tons / ha.
Plant nutrient uptake is one of the important indicators in achieving the expected harvest quality. The amount of nutrients that can be absorbed by plants affects the production of the main plants in achieving the desired quality of plants. The more nutrients can be absorbed by plants, the plants will be able to grow and develop optimally in accordance with the growth phase. Zeolite mixed with urea fertilizer binds to the ammonium ion released by urea fertilizer at the time of decomposition. Zeolite cavities of 2-8 Angtrom size correspond to the size of the ammonium ion. Binding will be more effective if the amount of zeolite mixed into urea fertilizer is increasing, because of complex sorption and cavities that can capture more ammonium ions. Ammonium ions which are absorbed by zeolites are not immediately released into the soil solution as long as the amount of ammonium ions in the soil is still high. urea fertilizer combined with zeolite greatly affects the wet weight of the plant at the time of harvest. Based on research, plants that are only given urea fertilizer produce 20.76 grams of wet weight, while plants that are given urea and zeolite fertilizer with a composition of 50: 50 produce a wet weight of 80.46 grams.
High nutrient uptake of N is able to make plant productivity will be maximal because plant growth and development will be optimal. N content in plants in addition to having a role in plant growth also plays a role in the process of photosynthesis can run optimally and the formation of protein, fat and various other organic compounds, so that it can affect the quality and quantity of the final harvest.
Application of urea and zeolite can improve the chemical properties of soil at the pH and CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY and be able to absorb the highest N nutrients so as to produce the highest production in the wet and dry weight of plants. The efficiency of N uptake for urea fertilizer alone is only around 13.46%, while plants that are given urea and zeolite fertilizers with a composition of 50: 50 have an efficiency of 60.06%.
The efficiency of N uptake is basically determined by several factors such as the type of fertilizer applied and the method of application at the time of fertilization. In this study, the type of fertilizer used is urea fertilizer. Urea fertilizer contains high amounts of N but has the disadvantage of being fast release that is unable to provide N nutrients sustainably, so that on one hand when plants need N nutrients, urea fertilizers are less able to provide N nutrients when plants need it.
The second disadvantage is that it is easy to experience leaching and volatilization if the application method given is incorrect so that the plant is less able to absorb optimally. Both of these weaknesses can reduce the efficiency of N uptake in plants and can reduce the production of mustard plants. Application of urea and zeolite by immersion in
Soil is able to produce the highest absorption efficiency of N plants. The high rate of exchange capacity in zeolites can play an effective role as an ion absorber and positive ion exchange needed by plants such as NH4 +. The high EXCHANGE CAPACITY of the CATION in zeolites makes the negative charge in the soil very high and makes the soil able to absorb and exchange alkaline cations in the soil (NH4 + from N fertilizer).
The production of mustard plants is determined by the wet weight of the plant. The higher the wet weight, the higher the resulting production. Mustard plants are harvested before entering the flowering phase (generative) and harvested on the stems and leaves of plants. This part of the plant that is harvested requires large amounts of nutrients. This nutrient N is able to influence growth and development in plants, especially in the roots, stems and leaves. The high demand for N nutrients for the production of mustard plants, N nutrients must be available in a longer time, so that when plants that need N nutrients the soil is able to supply nutrient needs and plants can absorb nutrients N.