Effects of Shade and Trichoderma on Vegetative Growth Response of Upland Rice to Acid Soil

Trichoderma fungus isolates have begun to be recognized as biofertilizers, which are expected to not only play a role in breaking down organic material that produces nutrients for plants, but also help plants to live normally in acidic soil conditions and dry land with low light intensity. The initial growth period is a critical phase for upland rice in facing environmental stress including low light intensity and soil acidity. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of providing 60% paranet shading and Trichoderma biological fertilizer on the vegetative growth response of upland rice leaves on acid soil. The experimental treatments were arranged in a split plot design. The primary plot is comprised of two categories: "without shade" and "shade of 60%". The subplots are Trichoderma biological pupils consisting of: without Trichoderma or control, Trichoderma isolate Tc-Jjr-02 and Trichoderma isolate Tc- Jro-02. The treatment was repeated 4 times to obtain a total of 24 experimental units. Weekly observations were made of plant height growth and number of tillers, as well as, the total amount of chlorophyll and the total amount of carotenoids at the end of the vegetative phase. Observational data were analysed using analysis of variance at the 5% level to determine the effect of treatment on the growth response of upland rice. To determine the differences between treatments, an Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test was performed at the 5% level. The results showed that shade, biofertilizer and interaction had no significant effect on plant height, but a very significant effect on number of tillers. Application of Trichoderma biofertilizer without shade showed most tillers and was able to help upland rice plants overcome acid soil stress in the vegetative phase. The shade of 60% can increase 29.8% total chlorophyll and 40% total carotenoids of upland rice leaves. The interaction between shade and Trichoderma biological fertilizer has made a significant impact on the number of tillers in treatments 21 and 56 days after planting.