KAJIAN KOMPOSISI KIMIA, NILAI NUTRISI, DAN ETNOFARMAKOLOGIS TANAMAN GENUS KENARI

One species of canarium genus is Canarium indicum L which is an original plant from Indonesia. Utilization of some canarium nut species which spread around the world had been recognized, such as a source of nutritious food as well as its potency as raw material of medicine based on evidence-based scientific. In traditional medicine, was reported if canarium nut had been used for diabetes mellitus treatment, angina, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, expectorant, etc. This article aims to review the chemical composition, nutrient values, and potency of canarium nut as the raw material of medicine. Scientific data were obtained from online search results. From the searching was found that at least eight species of canarium nut reported which is related to chemical composition and its nutrition which also provide ethnopharmacological benefits. Overall results, all identified canarium nut species have a favorable chemical composition and nutritional values that can be utilized as functional, nutritional and medicinal food. Therefore, the result of this study also indicates if the canarium nut from Indonesia, C. indicum L., has not been thoroughly studied. That indicates by the lack of scientific paper which presented about C. indicum from Indonesia

Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations

Oil palm plantations are intensively managed agricultural systems that increasingly dominate certain tropical regions. Oil palm monocultures have been criticized because of their reduced biodiversity compared to the forests they historically replaced, and because of their negative impact on soils, water, and climate. We experimentally test whether less intensive management schemes may enhance biodiversity and lessen detrimental effects on the environment while maintaining high yields. We compare reduced vs. conventional fertilization, as well as mechanical vs. chemical weed control (with herbicides) in a long-term, full-factorial, multidisciplinary experiment. We conducted the experiment in an oil palm company estate in Sumatra, Indonesia, and report the results of the first 2 years. We measured soil nutrients and functions, surveyed above- and below-ground organisms, tracked oil palm condition and productivity, and calculated plantation gross margins. Plants, aboveground arthropods, and belowground animals were positively affected by mechanical vs. chemical weed control, but we could not detect effects on birds and bats. There were no detectable negative effects of reduced fertilization or mechanical weeding on oil palm yields, fine roots, or leaf area index. Also, we could not detect detrimental effects of the reduced fertilization and mechanical weeding on soil nutrients and functions (mineral nitrogen, bulk density, and litter decomposition), but water infiltration and base saturation tended to be higher under mechanical weeding, while soil moisture, and microbial biomass varied with treatment. Economic performance, measured as gross margins, was higher under reduced fertilization. There might be a delayed response of oil palm to the different management schemes applied, so results of future years may confirm whether this is a sustainable management strategy. Nevertheless, the initial effects of the experiment are encouraging to consider less intensive management practices as economically and ecologically viable options for oil palm plantations