Pertumbuhan Bibit Kelapa Sawit (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) yang Diberi Mulsa dan Fungi Mikoriza Arbuskula di Pembibitan Awal

Oil palm pre-nursery is one of the stages that could effect to the plant growth in the future. Objective of this research was to obtain the best combination of mulch and doses of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) that increase the growth of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) in pre-nursery. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java. The altitude is about 750 meters above sea level with Inceptisol soil types and soil pH was 5.8. Type of precipitation in Jatinangor according to rainfall classification of Schmidt and Fergusson (1951) belongs to type C. The experiment was conducted from February to April 2013. The method used in this research was an experimental model of Randomized Block Design, consisting of nine treatments and repeated three times. The treatments given were: oil palm shell mulch, reeds mulch, AMF 10 g/polybag, oil palm shell mulch and AMF 5 g/polybag, oil palm shell mulch and AMF 10 g/polybag, oil palm shell mulch and AMF 15 g/polybag, reeds mulch and AMF 5 g/polybag, reeds mulch and AMF 10 g/polybag and reeds mulch and AMF 15 g/polybag. The results showed that the combination of reeds mulch and 10 g AMF/polybag caused the increase of plant height, leaf area, plant dry weight, root volume and root infection degree of palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.). Keywords : Mulch, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), Oil palm pre-nursery, Oil palm