Application of the LEISA system to improve soil properties and increase potato productivity

The average yield of potato tubers per area in Bali was around 16 tons/ha, which was still smaller than the targeted yield set by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture or BAPPENAS RI. The physical, chemical and biological conditions of the soil were found non-optimal for potato farming. Chicken manure compost at a dose of 10-20 tons/ha can improve the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. In this research, a potato cultivation experiment was carried out using five different doses of chicken manure compost, organic compost, and chemical fertilizers, which contained nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium. Chemical fertilizer was applied at 250 kg/ha, while the compost doses were 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, and 20 tons/ha. The microbial population in the field trial was 3.2 x 103 to 9.9 x 107 cfu with soil pH ranging from 6.6 ± 0.04 to 6.8 ± 0.03. Minerals decomposed the compost into macro and micronutrients, which improved the soil cation exchange capacity between 24 ± 0.8 - 27.6 ± 1.2 meg/100 g. The results showed improved physical and chemical properties of the soil, increasing the productivity and quality of potatoes produced.