Response of Arabica Coffee Cultivated on Andisols on Organic Matter Applications

Andisols  are characterized  by  dominance  of  amorphous  minerals  which form strong and stable bonding with organic matter, therefore Andisols always contain high organic matter. For that reason, organic fertilizer is generally not applied  on  Andisols,  because  it  is  assumed  that  it  will  not  give   any  positive effect  on  growth  or  yield.  The  experiment  was  aimed  to  evaluate  response  of mature Kartika 1  Arabica coffee variety (seven years old) cultivated on  Andisols applied with organic matter derived from cow dung manure. The experiment was carried out at Andungsari  Experimental Station located in Bondowoso District, East  Java. Elevation of the site was 1,150 m asl., with rainfall type of C (Schmidt &  Fergusson).  The  experiment  was    arranged  according  to  completely randomized  block  design  with  four  replications  to  evaluate  effect  of  ninecombination  treatments  of  application  rates  at   application  depths  of  50,  100, and 150 cm. The  range of organic fertilizers rates were  0 - 13.5 kg/tree/year. The experiment revealed that cow dung manure applications on Arabica coffee cultivated  on  Andisols  significantly  increased  yield  at  the  average  of  33% compared  to  the  untreated  crop.  No  significant  effect  of  the  treatment  onvariables of leaf water deficit and soil moisture content during dry season and root  density.  At  range  of  application  depths  of  50  -  150  cm,  the  deeper  the organic matter applications, the higher the yield will be.Key words: Andisols, Arabica coffee, organic matter, cow dung manure