Growth and Corm Production of Amorphophallus at Different Shading Levels in Indonesia

摘要

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson (elephant foot yam) and A. muelleri Mill, are commonly cultivated under tree canopies. They are usually harvested two to three years after the planting of one-year-old corms. However, information about suitable cultivation periods and shading levels is limited. The present study was conducted in a field located in Bogor, West Java, over a period of three years at four shading levels: control (0%), 25, 50 and 75%. Regardless of the shading level, the fresh mass of the corms increased exponentially in a year in elephant foot yams, while linearly in A. muelleri. Leaf size increased with the increase in the shading level, resulting in the production of large daughter corms at a low light intensity. About half of the A. muelleri plants flowered in the third year under the 75% shading condition, while no elephant foot yam plants flowered under the same condition. Daughter corms reached a commercial size two years after planting in A. muelleri and three years after planting in elephant foot yams under the 75% shading condition. These results suggested that both species are shade-loving plants and that A. muelleri could be harvested one year earlier than elephant foot yams under shading conditions.