The Effects of NPK fertilizer, Manure and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) on the Growth, Biomass and Artemisinin Content of Artemisia annua L.

Abstract

Most artemisinin is extracted from an annual herb Artemisia annua L. but the cultivation in Indonesia is limited by
the low yield of the artemisin incontent that is not economically beneficial to industry. Improvement on cultivated
varieties and cultivation techniques is therefore needed. This work aims to improve the cultivation techniques by
evaluating the application effects of NPK, manure, and VAM on the artemisinin yield of A. annua. The experiment
was set using a Split Split Plot Design involving three factors. First factor was the application of four dosages of
NPK (0 kg ha-1 as a control; 40:40:40 kg ha-1; 80:80:80 kg ha-1; and 120:120:120 kg ha-1). Second factor was
manure addition (using 0 ton ha-1 and 150 tons ha-1). Third factor wasthe application of mycorrhiza (0 g plant-1and
15 g plant-1). The experiment was divided into three different groups based on the seed sources (Bandung, Cibodas,
and Tawangmangu plants) using similar treatments. The results showed that the plant growth (Relative Growth
Rates/RGR of plant heights and number of branches), leaf yield, and total plant biomass were much affected by
NPK. The addition of manure has less significant effect on those parameters. Only VAM seems to influence the
artemisinin content. The highest artemisinin yield (5 kg ha-1) was relatively low when compared to the production
in USA, China, and Brazil. However the result shows that a low fertilizer input of 40:40:40 kg NPK ha-1 and an
inoculation of VAM were recommended for cultivating A. annua resulting a significantly high yield of artemisinin.
Keywords: Artemisia annua L., Artemisinin content, NPK, Manure, VAM, Plant Growth, Biomass