The effects of organic materials on growth and production of selected secondary metabolites of boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. / Azreen Suhana Zelnor

Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. is a highly important medicinal plant underZingerberaceae family commonly known as temu kunci and widely found in Asiancountries where it is commonly used as food ingredient and ethnomedicine. Therhizome and fingerroot of this species contain several bioactive compounds withpharmaceutical properties. This plant requires optimum environment especiallynutrient to increase the production and improve the quality of this plant. Intensiveuse of chemical fertilizer in agriculture affected people health and environment.Organic material has been widely used in agriculture development to improve thesoil quality, crop yield, plant growth performance, and to reduce the dependencieson chemical fertilizer. This study was conducted to identify the effects of organicmaterials on plant growth and production of selected secondary metabolites of thisspecies. This study conducted at glass house Rimba Ilmu, Universiti Malaya usingcompletely randomized design (CRD) which involve seven treatment and fourreplications include control, chemical fertilizer, biochar, vermicompost, food wastecompost, empty fruit bunch compost and lignohumate in 5 kg of soil. The effectsof this treatments based on the plant growth, number leaves, fresh and dry weightof rhizome and fingerroots, also production of alpenetin, pinocembrin, cardamonin,pinostrobin and panduratin A in rhizome. In this study, vermicompost gave thesignificant increases and highest reading of plant height (52.71 cm), number ofleaves (8), rhizome and fingerroots fresh weight (210.00 g), dry weight of rhizomeand fingerroot (16.53 g) and pinostrobin production (949.9725 mg/g) compared toothers treatments. Biochar shows significant highest of cardamonin (195.5725mg/g) and pinocembrin (615.6225 mg/g) accumulation. Lignohumate showssignificant highest of panduratin A (222.6900 mg/g) and alpenetin production(452.6475 mg/g). The treatment used organic materials shows the best effects in allparameter measured. In conclusion, organic materials can give the positive effectson growth and selected secondary metabolites of B.rotunda and at the same timecan reduce the dependencies on chemical fertilizer.