The effects of teak shades at different ages on early growth of 3 tuber species in Semin Village, Gunung Kidul

Abstract

The government’s efforts in maintaining the food security includes developing alternative food sources, developing local food crops and improving the use of dry land for food crops cultivation. Planting tubers are common in private forest lands, such as in Semin Village, where arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L.) can live under teak (Tectona grandis L.) stands. Based on this, a trial was conducted on planting three species of tubers, namely arrowroot/garut, canna/ganyong (Canna discolor Lindl.), and yam/gembili (Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burk.) under teak stands. In mixed cropping patterns, there are limitations in obtaining light and nutrient sources for the plants underneath. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the morphological adaptation of three species of tubers, especially under the shade of teak, at different ages. The research design was completely randomized (CRD), while data analysis used two-way Anova. The results showed that the difference in relative light intensity (RLI) at eight weeks after planting had a significant effect on the height, the number of shoots or stems, and the number of leaves of the tested tubers. The size of the plant and the diameter of the stem showed the highest average under the shade of seven years teak stand, the contrary, the highest number of shoots or stems found in the open areas.