Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 5 Number 3, July 2023: 36-43 eISSN: 2637-1138 © Penerbit UMT Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 5 Number 3, July 2023: 36-43 Introduction Floriculture is a specialized branch of horticulture that deals with the commercial production of cut and loose flowers, cut greens, seeds, bulbs, and landscape plants. According to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Malaysian national flower production was estimated at 414 million cuttings or vases worth RM270 million (Bernama, 2022). The industry is estimated to grow by 6.2% per year, so exploring and developing high-value products is encouraged (Bernama, 2022). Lavandula angustifolia is native to the Mediterranean and known as true lavender. It is an attractive plant with purple flowers and a soothing fragrance. Lavender is a versatile plant with many uses, including as potted ornamentals and for landscaping. It is also used in perfumery, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals (Pistelli et al., 2017). It is also edible and used as a natural Abstract: English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a multi-use ornamental plant native to the Mediterranean. In Malaysia, lavender has also been cultivated in the lowlands as a potted plant, besides Cameron Highland. However, studies on lavender cultivation are very scarce in Malaysia. Hence, this study on the effect of biochar on the growth quality of lavender cultivated as a potted plant in the lowland was initiated. This study was conducted in a greenhouse at Batu Rakit, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, for seven weeks after transplanting. Growing media consisted of 3:7 soil:sand without biochar as the control. About 50g of paddy husk biochar and coconut shell biochar were added to the growing media as treatments, respectively. The parameters observed were plant height, stem diameter, number of branches, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots and roots-to-shoots ratio biomass. This study found that adding biochar to the growing media positively affected the growth quality of the plants compared to the control. Paddy husk biochar significantly (P<0.05) improved stem height, number of branches and the root dry weight of L. angustifolia. Hence, adding paddy husk biochar in growing media is worth considering for English lavender cultivation in the lowlands of Malaysia. Keywords: Agricultural waste, Batu Rakit, coconut shell, Lavandula angustifolia, paddy husk. PADDY HUSK BIOCHAR TO IMPROVE GROWTH QUALITY OF ENGLISH LAVENDER (Lavandula angustifolia) IN THE LOWLANDS OF TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA FATIN NUR NAJIHA ABD WAHAB, WAN ZALIHA WAN SEMBOK AND HUSNI HAYATI MOHD RAFDI* School of Fisheries and Food Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia *Corresponding author: husni@umt.edu.my https://doi.org/10.46754/umtjur.v5i3.360 preservative (Wells et al., 2018) and flavouring (Carla Da Porto et al., 2009). In Malaysia, L. angustifolia is successfully cultivated in Cameron Highland as potted and bedding plants for the landscape. Potted lavender can be purchased from Agro Technology Park MARDI and Cameron Lavender Garden. Cameron Highlands sits at an altitude between 300 m and 2060 m above sea level and its total area is approximately 69,699 km 2 . In 2019, the minimum temperature in Cameron Highlands was 12°C and the maximum temperature was 34°C (How Jin Aik, et al., 2020). Besides Cameron Highlands, L. angustifolia is also cultivated in the lowlands of Malaysia in plant nurseries but is limited to potted plants for ornamental purposes. However, research on lavender cultivation in Malaysia is scarce compared to research on lavender essential oil