Effect of humic acid on oil palm seed germination

Humic acid is an extract from organic materials that can enhance root development to accelerate the absorption of nutrients and water, thereby increasing plant growth. This study aims to determine the role of humic acid to increase the initial growth of oil palm seedlings. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments to test the optimum doses of humic acid, namely 0% (control), 0.5% (P1), 1% (P2), and 1.5% (P3). Each treatment used 22 oil palm seeds. Seedlings were soaked in humic acid according to treatment for one hour, then grown for seven days. Observations were made every day until the 7th day on the parameters of hair length, radicle length, and number of lateral roots. Data analysis used the analysis of variance test (ANOVA) with the Tukey HSD follow-up test (p>95%). Humic acid treatment at a dose of 1% showed significant results in increasing the number of lateral roots by 110% compared to the control. Humic acid can be an alternative growth regulator to induce the growth of oil palm roots.