Abstract
Changes in the biomass of sugar palm shoot (leaf and trunk) with the estimated plant age (EPA, years) were investigated in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi and in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. In both villages, the fresh and dry weights of the shoot, the trunk and its parts (bark and pith) tended to increase with the EPA, but the change after the emergence of female inflorescences (FIs) was small. On the other hand, those of the leaf and its parts (leaflet, rachis, and petiole and leaf sheath) increased from the early trunk elongation stage to the emergence stage of FIs and reached the maximum value, then decreased toward the dying stage. The ratios of the leaf and the trunk to the shoot weight decreased and increased, respectively, with the EPA, and the ratios were almost the same in the emergence stage of FIs. The fresh and dry weight ratios of the pith to the shoot (trunk) of sugar palms at the optimum harvest stage were in the range of 40–50 (80–85) % and 30–45 (70–80) % in both villages, respectively. However, due to the large variation in the maximum trunk weight of both villages and between individuals of the same growth stage in SB Village, it is necessary to clarify the genetic difference of sugar palms in both villages and the effects of the growing environments and the degrees of male and female inflorescence development and sap collection on the biomass production and starch yield.
https://ror.org/01xxp6985 
