Pengaruh Metode Perbanyakan dan Jenis Klon terhadap Juvenilitas Karet (Hevea Brasiliensis Muell.Arg.) di Kebun Entres

Abstract

SYAFRIZAL. The Effect of Propagation Methods and Clones on the Juvenility of Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) in the Budwood Garden. Supervised LISA MAWARNI as Chairperson of the Advisory Committee and NINI RAHMAWATI as Member of the Advisory Committee. Juvenility is the early vegetative phase crucial to the rubber nursery system as it determines growth rate, uniformity, and potential for budwood production. This study aimed to determine the effect of propagation methods and clones on the juvenility level of rubber plants (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) in budwood gardens. The research was conducted at the budwood garden of PT Socfin Indonesia, Tanah Besih Estate, Serdang Bedagai, using a factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) consisting of two factors: propagation method (mature budding and in vitro culture) and five rubber clones (IRCA 19, PB 235, PB 217, IRCA 317, and IRCA 41), with 10 replications. Observed parameters included shoot emergence rate, shoot angle, number of shoots, shoot diameter, shoot length, number of leaves, leaf thickness, internode length, leaf area, stomatal density, and total chlorophyll content. Results showed that clone type had a significant effect on most juvenility indicators, while the propagation method had a non significant effect. The interaction between propagation method and clone significantly affected shoot emergence rate, shoot number, shoot angle, shoot length, and shoot diameter. Clones IRCA 317 and IRCA 19 demonstrated higher juvenility levels, indicated by faster shoot development, greater leaf numbers, and longer shoots. In vitro propagation tended to promote better vegetative growth than mature budding in certain clones. This study recommends the use of IRCA 317 clone propagated through in vitro culture as a superior budwood material for rubber nursery programs. Keywords: Hevea brasiliensis, juvenility, propagation method, clone, budwood