Effect of Papaya Skin Extract on Growth and Yield of Mungbean Under Drought Stress Conditions

Dryness is among the limiting abiotic factors of plant productivity.Papaya skin extract contains phytochemical antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and vitamin C. The study aimed to analyze how papaya skin extract affects mungbean grown under drought stress conditions.The experiment was arranged in a factorial randomized block design.The first factor was drought stress consisting of 3 levels (100% Field Capacity (FC) = control, 70% FC = mild stress, and 40% FC = medium stress), the second factor was papaya skin extract consisting of 4 concentration levels (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%), with 3 replicates.The results of the study showed a significant interaction effect of papaya skin extract and drought stress on pod size and the number of seeds (p = 0.05).Independently, the growth rate and the dry seed were influenced by drought stress.An increase in drought stress from 100% to 40% FC resulted in increased stunted growth, as reflected in the decrease in plant height and leaf area, as well as a decrease in seed yield to 28.3% compared to the control.In addition, the components of growth and yield were significantly affected (p = 0.05) by papaya skin extract.In comparison to the control, the use of papaya skin extract improved plant growth and potentially increased seed yields by 11.2%.These findings suggest that papaya skin extract has the potential to mitigate drought stress in mungbean cultivation.