Trees and Regeneration in Rubber Agroforests and Other Forest-derived Vegetation in Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia)

The rubber agroforests (RAF) of Indonesia provide a dynamic interface between natural processes of forest regeneration and human's management targeting the harvesting of latex with minimum investment of time and financial resources. The composition and species richness of higher plants across an intensification gradient from forest to monocultures of tree crops have been investigated in six land use types (viz. secondary forest, RAF, rubber monoculture, oil palm plantation, cassava field and Imperata grassland) in Bungo, Jambi Province, Indonesia. We emphasize comparison of four different strata (understory, seedling, sapling and tree) of vegetation between forest and RAF, with specific interest in plant dependence on ectomycorrhiza fungi. Species richness and species accumulation curves for seedling and sapling stages were similar between forest and RAF, but in the tree stratum (trees > 10 cm dbh) selective thinning by farmers was evident in a reduction of species diversity and an increase in the proportion of trees with edible parts. Very few trees dependent on ectomycorrhiza fungi were encountered in the RAF. However, the relative distribution of early and late successional species as evident from the wood density distribution showed no difference between RAF and forest

Effect of Planting Media on the Growth of Shorea Pinanga Scheff. Seedlings

Shoreapinanga Scheff. is a major tropical plant species which has an important economic value not only for timber, but also as illipe nut (called tengkawang in local name) production. This species is suggested for land rehabilitation and forest conservation. In rehabilitation action, S. pi11a11ga is usually planted on the poor and degraded area. Application of chemical fertilizer and compost is used to increase the survival and growth of the seedlings. Excessive chemical fertilizer input to soil, however, may cause negative effect on soil, plant and environment. Conversely, compost may improve soil porosity, soil aggregate, water absorption and soil fertility. The objective of the study was to examine effect of planting media on growth of S. pinanga seedlings. Complete randomized design has been arranged with 5 treatments, e.g. soil mixed with husk (at the proportion of 1:1), soil mixed with acacia compost (1:1), soil mixed with charcoal of rice husk (1:1) and soil mixed with humic acid (1:1). Another treatment was soil alone used as control. The result showed that growth of both stem height and diameter, and index of seedling quality were affected significantly by planting media. The mixture of soil and acacia compost (1 :1) was the best planting media for the growth of S. pinanga seedlings, which resulted in the growth of height (24.19 cm) and stem diameter (0.246 cm). Meanwhile, soil mixed with rice husk charcoal (1:1) gave the best result to the index of seedling quality (ISQ = 1.34) and total dry weight (TOW= 15.93 g)

Pengaruh Lebar Jauh Bersih Terhadap Pertumbuhan Jenis Meranti Merah Penghasil Tengkawang (Shorea Stenoptera Dan Shorea Mecistopteryx) Di Hutan Penelitian Haurbentes, Bogor

Shorea stenoptera dan shorea mecistopteryx merupakan jenis yang populer dalam dunia perdagangan sebgai kayu tropis yang mempunyai kualitas baik dan juga dapat menghasilkan buah tengkawang. Penelitian yang dilakukan di Hutan Penelitian Haurbentes bertujuan untuk mencari pengaruh serbagai lebar jalur bersih terhadap pertumbuhan dan daya hidup jenis pohon penghasil tengkawang S.stenoptera dan S. mecitopteryx.Penelitian berdasarkan rancangan Split Plot, dengan dua jenis shores sebagai petakutama dan jalur bersih sebagai anak petak.Tiap perlakuan diulang dua kali, dengan lima perlakuan lebar jalur bersih dan jarak tanam 3mx4m. Hasilpenelitian menunjukan rata-rata persen tumbuh untuk S. stenoptera 68,31% dan S. mecistopteryx 41,34%. Tinggi untuk S. stenoptera berkisar 122,68cm-148,54cm dan berdiameter1,38cm -1,77cm sedangkan S.mecitopteryx tinggi sekitar 117,61cm-157,28cm dan diameter ,23cm-1,73cm.Perlakuan lebar jalur bersih dua meter berpengaruh sangat nyata terhadap pertumbuhan diameter S. stnoptera dan S.mecistopteryx . Kesuburan tanah diareal penanaman rendash Totalpopulasi fungsi dan bakteri masing-masing adalah 0,81 x 10 CFU/gr tanah dan 10,03 x 10 CFU/gr tanah.Prestasi kerja dari mulai penyiapan lahan,penanaman dan Pemeliharaan memerlukan 82 HOK/ha