Productivity of Asystasia gangetica (L.) subsp. Micrantha fertilized with a mixture of cow manure and grape waste

The availability of forage for ruminants, in terms of quantity, quality, and continuity, can affect livestock productivity. Forage consists of grasses, legumes, and weeds such as Asystasia gangetica (L.) subsp. Micrantha. This study, to determine the productivity of Asystasia gangetica (L.) subsp. Micrantha fertilized with a mixture of cow manure and grape waste, used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatments and 10 replications. The treatments for the mixture of cow manure and grape waste, were: A = 100% cow manure + 0% grape waste, B = 0% cow manure +100% grape waste, C = 75% cow manure + 25% grape waste, D = 50% cow manure + 50% grape waste, and E = 25% cow manure + 75% grape waste. Observed variables were plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, leaf area, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, total forage dry weight, leaf dry weight to stem dry weight ratio, and total forage dry weight to root dry weight ratio. The results of the study showed that the use of cow manure and grape waste was not able to increase the growth of Asystasia gangetica (L.) subsp. Micrantha (P>0.05), but the application of this fertilizer could improve (P<0.05) the quality of forage with the best ratio of leaf dry weight to stem dry weight, in a mixture of 50% cow manure + 50% grape waste of 1.72. It can be concluded that the application of a mixture of cow manure and grape waste was not able to increase the growth of Asystasia gangetica (L.) subsp. Micrantha, but a mixture of 50% cow manure + 50% grape waste provided the best forage quality.