Jurnal Biologi Tropis
Vol. 26 No. 2 (2026): April - Juni

Effectiveness of Growing Media on the Growth of Stem Cuttings of Ficus benjamina in Ketapang, West Kalimantan

Eti Artiningsih Octaviani (Institut Teknologi Sumatera)
Oktarina Maulidia (Institut Teknologi Sumatera)
Muhammad Reza (Institut Teknologi Sumatera)
Vilda Puji Dini Anita (Institut Teknologi Sumatera)
Robithotul Huda (Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI))
Septian Faris Al-Amin (Institut Teknologi Sumatera)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Jun 2026

Abstract

Peat swamp forests in Indonesia face significant pressure due to ecosystem degradation. One example is in Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan. Restoration efforts are needed to restore ecosystem function,  including revegetation with Ficus benjamina, which is adaptive to peatland conditions. The  restoration success rate is expected to improve with the use of. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different growing media on the growth performance of F. benjamina stem cuttings. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 planting media treatments (P0–P4) and 8 replications. Parameters included plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and changes in soil chemical properties (pH and organic carbon), with supporting data of temperature, humidity, and rainfall as environmental factors. The results showed that planting media treatments significantly affected the vegetative growth of F. benjamina. Treatment P4 (peat + rice husk charcoal + compost) produced the best growth with an average height of 14.60 cm, stem diameter of 2.33 mm, and number of leaves of 8, compared to the control (P0) with a height of 11.25 cm, diameter of 1.11 mm, and 6 leaves. Furthermore, soil pH increased from acidic (4.6–5.0) to neutral (6.5–6.7). These results indicate that  combining planting media with organic matter effectively improves soil chemical properties and supports the growth of F.benjamina, thus offering potential for application in peatland restoration.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JBT

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Immunology & microbiology

Description

Jurnal Biologi Tropis (ISSN Cetak 1411-9587 dan ISSN Online 2549-7863) diterbitkan mulai tahun 2000 dengan frekuensi 2 kali setahun oleh Program Studi Pendidikan Biologi PMIPA FKIP Universitas Mataram, berisi hasil penelitian dan ulasan Ilmiah dalam bidang Biologi ...