Cultivation of Amorphophallus muelleri Blume in Timber Forests of East Java, Indonesia

概要

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Amorphophallus muelleri Blume plants are cultivated in timber forests in East Java. To obtain information about cultivation practices and the economic contribution of A. muelleri to farmers, interviews with farmers and managers of timber plantations were carried out in July, 2002. Farmers plant bulbils only once when they start to cultivate A. muelleri. Thereafter, bulbils dispersed from plants grow out naturally every year. Harvest begins three years after planting. Corms are harvested after the plants enter dormancy. Corm size depends on the age, 220 g (1 year-old corms) to 3700 g (more than 3 year-old corms), and can be estimated based on the petiole diameter, plant vigor, and the number of bulbils per plant. In order to harvest large corms, farmers push wooden sticks into the soil beside plants with thick petioles. Cultivation of A. muelleri contributes to the improvement of the household economy, so that about 40 to 90% of the total income is derived from A. muelleri. A. muelleri plants do not require any specific management practices except for weeding and harvesting. Furthermore, the cultivation of A. muelleri helps prevent illegal logging and the occurrence of forest fire.
日本熱帯農業学会の論文