Dry Matter Production and Distribution after Trunk Formation in Sago Palm (Metroxylon sasu Rottb.)

抄録

The differences in dry matter production and its distribution between the two folk varieties of sago palm with higher (Molat) and lower (Rotan) starch productivity were clarified in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The fresh and dry matter weights of whole shoots of the two varieties increased exponentially with age after trunk formation and these differences were 2.7 times higher in Molat than in Rotan at the harvesting stage. Differences were not found between the two varieties after trunk formation in the ratios of whole leaf, whole trunk, and the harvested trunk (from the trunk base to the node of the lowest living leaf) dry weights to the whole shoot weight and the ratio of pith dry weight to the harvested trunk dry weight. The difference in whole shoot weight between the two varieties might be caused by the difference in leaf area per palm (2.9 times difference) observed in the previous report. These results suggested that the difference in starch productivity between Molat and Rotan resulted from the difference in dry matter production, but not from the difference in the distribution of the dry matter to the harvested trunk.