PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Mucuna pruriens is a member of Leguminosae family with the potential to be developed into a source of vegetable protein. Despite the significant potential, plant commonly has not been cultivated by good agriculture practices. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effect of different doses of NPK fertilizer and plant density on yield, nutritional, and bioactive content of M. pruriens seed. The experiment was conducted in Kuningan Regency, West Java, Indonesia (6°48’0.31”S, 108°28’17.5”E), from June to December 2024. A randomized complete block design was used, with treatments containing the combination of NPK fertilizer doses and plant density. The NPK fertilizer doses used consisted of four levels, namely 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 recommended doses. The recommended doses for N, P2O5, and K2O were 112.5, 90, and 108 kg/ha, respectively, with plant densities of 1, 2, and 3 seeds per planting hole. There were 12 treatment combinations, and each was repeated three times. The results showed that the treatment had a significant effect on M. pruriens yield, sugar, and starch content, as well as antioxidant activity (P<0.05). The combination of 1.5 recommended doses (168.75 kg N/ha, 135 kg P2O5/ha, and 162 kg K2O/ha) and 1 seed per hole gave a higher number of pods per plant, pod weight per plant, and seed weight per plant although not significantly different from 1 and 0.5 recommended doses with the same plant density. This combination of treatments also produced higher starch and sugar levels. Seed protein content was not affected by the treatment, including total phenol and flavonoid levels. Furthermore, the highest antioxidant activity was obtained in the combination of 1.5 recommended doses and 3 seeds per hole.