<![CDATA[Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a horticultural crop with high economic value; however, its productivity in Indonesia continues to fluctuate due to various cultivation factors, including low growing media fertility and the suboptimal use of plant growth regulators (PGRs). One approach to improving plant growth is the application of natural PGRs and rice husk charcoal as a growing media amendment. This study aimed to analyze the growth response of eggplant to the application of natural PGRs and rice husk charcoal and to determine the treatment combination that provides the best growth. The study employed an experimental method using a factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) consisting of two factors: four concentration levels of natural PGR derived from bamboo shoots and four dosage levels of rice husk charcoal. Each treatment combination was replicated three times. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the 5% significance level. The results showed that the application of PGRs and rice husk charcoal significantly affected most plant growth parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, number of productive branches, and flowering age. The interaction between the two treatments had a significant effect on the number of productive branches, while no significant interaction was observed for the other parameters. The combination of PGRs and rice husk charcoal resulted in better vegetative growth compared with the individual treatments. Therefore, the integrated application of natural PGRs and rice husk charcoal has the potential to serve as an effective cultivation technology for improving the vegetative growth of eggplant and supporting increased productivity.]]>
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