Spines growth responses of dragon blood (Daemonorops draco) rattan seedlings in several compositions of organic media

Abstract

Cultivation of Daemonorops draco is one of the conservation strategies to conserve its population in nature. Complete data and information about morphology are needed to support cultivation techniques. There has been much research on the morphology of D. draco, but the research of rattan spines is lack. Rattan spines have an important function in protecting themselves against herbivores or seed predators. Growing media is one of the factors that influence the growth of rattan spines. We studied the growth of rattan spines from several compositions of organic media in nurseries. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with five treatments and three replications. The treatments were compositions of organic media content, i.e.: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The variables observed were the number of rattan spines, spines color, and spines angle. Our results showed that the media composition of 75% organic matter tends to show higher spines growth response even though statistically not significantly different with 100% mineral soils. Spine’s color was light green to yellow. Spines angle was pointed downward towards the grounds.