Effects of Plant Spacing and Light Intensity on the Production and Quality of Curcuma xanthorrhiza (R.)

Abstract

Background and Objective: Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza R.) is a source of curcumin and an antioxidant. Curcumin and antioxidants on temulawak can protect our bodies from any disorder caused by reactive oxygen species. So the study aimed that the curcumin and antioxidant compounds should be increased in temulawak by regulating the environment, that is, the plant spacing under the coffee stand. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted from January-October, 2019 at Malang, used a nested design with 3 replications, consisting of 2 factors. The 1st factor is coffee varieties with different canopy shapes, Robusta (R) and Excelsa (E). The 2nd factor is the spacing of temulawak nested in the 1st factor, 20×50, 30×50, 40×50, 50×50 and 60×50 cm. Results: Results of the research showed that the optimum yield of temulawak rhizome weight per clump is obtained from grown under excelsa and robusta coffee with a spacing of 60×50 cm. While the optimum quality of temulawak rhizome (curcumin content and antioxidant activity level) was obtained from temulawak plants grown under excelsa coffee with a spacing of 40×50 cm. Meanwhile, temulawak plants grown under the shade of robusta coffee produced the same rhizome quality at all spacing. Conclusion: In conclusion, for optimal production, a spacing of 60×50 cm should be used. Meanwhile, to obtain the maximum amount of optimal curcumin and antioxidant, a 40×50 cm spacing is recommended.