Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh kacang ruji (Pueraria javanica) sebagai tanaman penutup (cover crop) terhadap pertumbuhan tanaman cabai merah (Capsicum annum L.). Penelitian dilakukan di kota Cirebon Jawa Barat selama kurang lebih 4 bulan mulai bulan Maret - Juli 2022. Rancangan percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Lengkap dengan variabel penelitian yaitu variabel bebas berupa dua perlakuan; kelompok eksperimen (A) yaitu tanaman cabai merah dengan tanaman penutup kacang ruji dan kelompok kontrol (B) yaitu tanaman cabai merah tanpa menggunakan tanaman penutup, sedangkan variabel terikat adalah pertumbuhan tanaman cabai merah. Parameter pertumbuhan yang diukur antara lain tinggi batang (TB), panjang daun (PD), panjang buah (PC) dan berat buah (BC). Data parameter pertumbuhan selanjutnya dianalisis menggunakan T-test dengan taraf signifikan 0,05. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada pengaruh tanaman cover crop Pureraria javanica terhadap pertumbuhan tanaman cabai merah yaitu tinggi batang, panjang buah dan berat buah, tetapi pada aspek panjang daun tidak terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan.

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The aim of the study is to determine the effect of kudzu nut (Pueraria javanica) as a cover crop on the growth of red chili (Capsicum annum L.). The study is conducted in Cirebon city, West Java for approximately 4 months starting from March - June 2022. The experimental design used in the study is Completely Randomized Design with the division of treatment group A, namely red chili plant group with cover crops and group B with red chili plant group without the use of cover crops. The research variables are (1) the independent variable is the cover crop of ruji beans and (2) the dependent variable is the growth of the red chili plant. Growth parameters which is measured including stem height (TB), leaf length (PD), fruit length (PC) and chili weight (BC). The results of the next study is analyzed using the T-test by a significant level of 0,05. The results show that there are significant differences in stem height, length and weight of chili peppers in the presence of ruji ground cover plants. There is only a slight difference in leaf length of red chili plants between plants grown with and without the use of rhizome cover crops.