Uji Keefektifan Formulasi Pestisida Nabati Barringtonia asiatica pada Tanaman Cabai (Capsicum annum L.)

Abstract

Tanaman cabai merupakan tanaman sayuran dan rempah-rempah yang menjadi komoditas penting di berbagai wilayah Indonesia. Produktivitas tanaman cabai harus ditingkatkan agar produksi tetap stabil karena sebagian besar masyarakat Indonesia gemar mengkomsusi cabai merah. Namun, produksi tanaman cabai di Indonesia menurun salah satunya yaitu adanya serangan hama. Penggunaan pestisida nabati menjadi suatu strategi dalam menekan serangan hama tanpa menimbulkan dampak yang lebih besar terhadap lingkungan. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengevaluasi sejauh mana formulasi pestisida nabati berbahan Barringtonia asiatica mampu menekan serangan hama pada tanaman cabai. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) non-faktorial dengan enam tingkat konsentrasi ekstrak B. asiatica, yaitu B1 = 0% (kontrol), B2 = 0,125%, B3 = 0,25%, B4 = 0,5%, B5 = 1%, dan B6 = 2%. Setiap perlakuan diulang empat kali sehingga diperoleh 24 unit percobaan, dengan masing-masing unit berisi tiga tanaman, sehingga total terdapat 72 tanaman sampel. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan bahwa konsentrasi 2% merupakan formulasi yang paling mampu menurunkan intensitas serangan hama, meskipun belum efektif menekan kejadian serangannya. Selain itu, perlakuan ekstrak B. asiatica tidak memberikan pengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan tanaman, seperti tinggi, diameter batang, jumlah daun dan buah, warna daun, maupun bobot buah, serta tidak menimbulkan efek negatif terhadap pertumbuhan maupun hasil panen cabai.

Chili peppers are a vegetable and spice crop that are an important commodity in various regions of Indonesia. Chili pepper productivity must be increased to maintain stable production because most Indonesians enjoy consuming red chili peppers. However, chili pepper production in Indonesia is declining due to pest attacks. The use of botanical pesticides is a strategy to suppress pest attacks without causing greater impacts on the environment. This study was conducted to evaluate the extent to which a botanical pesticide formulation made from Barringtonia asiatica can suppress pest attacks on chili peppers. The study used a non-factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) with six levels of B. asiatica extract concentration, namely B1 = 0% (control), B2 = 0.125%, B3 = 0.25%, B4 = 0.5%, B5 = 1%, and B6 = 2%. Each treatment was repeated four times to obtain 24 experimental units, with each unit containing three plants, for a total of 72 sample plants. The results showed that a 2% concentration was the most effective formulation for reducing pest attack intensity, although it was not yet effective in suppressing the incidence of attacks. Furthermore, the B. asiatica extract treatment did not affect plant growth, such as height, stem diameter, number of leaves and fruit, leaf color, or fruit weight, and did not negatively impact chili growth or yield.