Seeds of folk varieties, Manno Kecil (Small Manno; MK) and both Manno Besar (Big Manno; MB) and MK were respectively collected in September 2005 (Exp. 1) in Yabaso village and in September 2006 (Exp. 2) in Yabaso and Kehiran villages, District of Sentani, Jayapura, Papua Province, Indonesia. The collected fruit weight of MK and MB ranged from 7.4 g to 44.6 g and 31.8 g to 46.2 g, with an average of 28.2 g and 37.6 g, respectively. The seed weight of MK and MB ranged from 5.8 g to 31.9 g and 21.7 g to 32.9 g, with an average of 20.4 g and 28.0 g, respectively. Fruit weight of both MK and MB was lower than that of the reported cultivated type of sago palms. The germination percentage of MK and MB was 70.1% and 77.3%, respectively, showing a slightly higher percentage in MB than in MK. These percentages were higher than those of the reported cultivated type of sago palms (40-60%). The seed germination of MK occurred from 6 to 69 days after sowing (DAS), showing a rapid increase (ca. 68%) from 20-34 DAS. These results suggested earlier and higher germination percentages during the rapid increase period of the wild-type Manno than in the cultivated type of sago palms. Further studies should be performed to clarify the effects of seed maturity and seed size or weight in Manno on the germination percentage and rate, using the collected fruits (seeds) from the plant.

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 Sago starch was chemically modified with propylene oxide followed by acetic anhydride. Hydroxypropyl sago starch was prepared at 40°C using 0.0-7.5 ml propylene oxide in alkaline condition for 24 h. Acetyl sago starch was prepared at room temperature using 0.0-9.0 ml acetic anhydride in medium alkaline condition. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of molar substitution (MS) and degree of substitution (DS) on the properties of modified sago starch, characterized for swelling power, solubility and paste clarity (%T). The results showed that MS hydroxypropyl sago starch (HPSS) was 0.021-0.058 and DS hydroxypropyl-acetyl sago starch (HP-ASS) was 0.029-0.051 and 0.047-0.061 at acetic anhydride of 6.5 ml and 9 ml, respectively, while DS acetyl sago starch (ASS) was 0.051 and 0.057. DS HP-ASS was the lowest compared to ASS, as MS HP-ASS was 0.021 and 0.044. Swelling power, solubility and paste clarity of HPSS, ASS and HP-ASS were the highest compared to native sago starch (NSS).

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 The aim of this study was to characterize sago palm leaves at different phenological stages. Eleven palms representing the entire life cycle of sago palm were selected from local gardens in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Length of leaf, number of leaves, and number of leaflets for each unfolded leaf were measured. The results showed that sago palm carried maximum leaves in and around the bolting stage. The average leaf length and the number of leaflets were relatively high around the late trunk-formation stage. The generalization of these characteristics into equations should facilitate their integration into the crop simulation model in order to estimate the leaf area index (LAI) or specific leaf area (SLA) more simply.

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 About 95% of the total sago forest is dispersed in East Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua), in which many sago palm varieties are differentiated, and the productivity of sago starch is markedly higher than in West Indonesia (Sumatra and Java). The distribution, genetic diversity, and starch-production potential of sago palm in Indonesia were investigated in 2001-2007. The non-swamp land on Tebing Tinggi Island, a sub-district of Riau, is divided by canals into 50-hectare blocks, and the water table is regulated at 20-50 cm below the surface. Sago suckers, nursed on floating rafts in canals, are planted at a square spacing of 10 m. In Aceh Besar, about 50 hectares of sago palm forest is spread along the river. In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, about 5,000 hectares of sago palm forest is spread along the Kapuas River. The starch-processing factories along the river produce 25-500 tons of dry or wet starch per month. Palopo, South Sulawesi, has about 1,000 hectares of sago palm natural forest. In Maluku province, 30,000 hectares of natural forests is distributed unevenly in the swampy area of each island. The Sentani sub-district of Papua has about 4,000-5,000 hectares of sago palm natural forest. In Papua, sixty types of sago palm have been collected from the natural forest. The phenotypic characteristics were compared, and two varieties, Yepha (spineless) and Phara (spiny), have been recommended for starch production. The starch yield per trunk was highest in Papua (835 kg), followed by Maluku (582 kg), South Sulawesi (373 kg), and Riau (225 kg), and lowest in Aceh Besar (135 kg) and West Kalimantan (100 kg). The starch yield of 835 kg per trunk is the highest ever observed. The starch content of pith highly correlated with bulk density of the pith and dry-matter ratio.

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