Abstract

Piper retrofractum Vahl. propagation by cutting has been restricted by the forma­tion limitation of roots and shoot buds of cutting. The application of growth regu­lator exogenously and media might increase root and shoot formation. Exogenous growth regulator can be extracted from plant such as shallot. Suitable media for plant growth might increase plant root development. The objective of this research was to devise the combination of shallot extract and media for optimum growth of Piper retrofractum Vahl. This research was conducted at the research station of Agriculture Faculty, University of Bengkulu from July to December 2004. The elevation was 10 m above sea level. The experiment used Completely Randomized design with 2 factors. First factor was shallot extract concentration comprising of four levels, 0, 500, 1000, and 1500 g/L of water. Second factor was media consisting of soil, sugarcane pulp, water hyacinth, and peat. All the data were analyzed using ANOVA and means were separated by Orthogonal Polynomial. The results showed that peat medium combined with each of the concentration of shallot extract of 800 g/L water, 975 g/L water, 850 g/L water, 630 g/L water, and 820 g/L water produced the optimum number of roots (5.06), the longest root (13.27 cm), the longest shoot (21.52 cm), the maximum number of leaves (12.44), and the greenest leaves (55.82), respectively.