POTENSI DAN PENGEMBANGAN PESTISIDA NABATI BUAH MAJA (Aegle marmelos) SERTA UJI EFEKTIVITAS TERHADAP PRODUKSI CABAI BESAR (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

This study aims to develop a botanical pesticide derived from maja (bael) fruit (Aegle marmelos) and to evaluate its potential as an environmentally friendly biopesticide, with a focus on product potential and formulation characterization. Product development was carried out at Karassik and the efficacy test at Kandeapi, North Toraja Regency, Sulawesi Selatan (700 m asl), from June to October 2025. The pesticide was prepared by fermenting 20 kg of maja fruit flesh in 60 L of water with 5 L of 70% alcohol for 24 h, then filtered and formulated at concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% (P1–P4) against an untreated control (P0). The efficacy test used a single-factor randomized block design (RBD) with five treatments and three replications (15 plots, 90 plants). No growth parameters were assessed in order to focus the analysis on pesticide development; only production variables were observed over three harvests: number of fruit per plant, single-fruit weight, fruit weight per plant, and fruit weight per plot. Data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by the LSD test at 5%, and production feasibility was evaluated through the R/C ratio, break-even point (BEP), and return on investment (ROI). Results showed that the 15% treatment (P3) significantly gave the highest production — 4.90 fruit/plant and 17.00 g/fruit (harvest 2), 45.44 g/plant, and 153.67 g/plot — differing significantly from all other treatments. The economics of production were feasible, with an R/C ratio of 1.08, a BEP of 50 bottles (500 mL) and 71 bottles (250 mL), and an ROI of 10.81%. The maja fruit pesticide is therefore worth developing and offers promising potential as an economically viable, marketable, and environmentally friendly biopesticide. Quantitative chemical characterization (total alkaloid, total flavonoid, total phenol, GC-MS profile) and a pest mortality/LC50 bioassay are recommended as follow-up research.