Journal of Tropical Crop Science Vol.2 No. 1 , February 201 5 www.j-tropical-crops.com

RESEARCH ARTICLE

AreTacca leontopetaloides (Linn.) O. Kuntze Mini Tuber Growth Affected by Media Composition and Tuber Size?

Sandra Arin Aziz*A , Rendy Susanto

ADepartment of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of , Bogor Agricultural University Jl. Meranti, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia

*Corresponding author; email: [email protected]

Abstract al., 2004) other than grass or sedges, compound or lobed, stem with longitudinal ridges Tacc a ( leontopetaloides (Linn.) O. Kuntze) is a and hollow (Booth et al., 2004).Abdullah et al. (2014) tropical plant thatis widely used for its in some stated that Polynesian arrowroot possess the most countries as well as medicinal plant. Tacca has stunning inorescence with whisker-like liform advantages as it can grow on sand in tropical bracteoles and the colour of the two conspicuous seashore areas and rain forests. Farmers in Madura inner involucral bracts range from white, green, Island Indonesia cultivated tacca by using mother purple, brown to near black colour. The true owers tubers as propagules and harvest the daughter ofT. leontopetaloides are dark purple, brown, or near tubers, but no studies have been conducted on the black in colour and they are actinomorphic and growth of mini-tubers and their cultivation. The hermaphroditic with six stamens.T. integrifolia as purpose of this study was to nd the best potted and exterior landscaping need 30% combination of planting mediaand the size of mini shade level for the longest ower stalk, whereas tuber for growing tacca. The experiment was set in a shade level of 70% is most suitable to produce a completely randomized block design withtwo factor s good quality potted plant with intense ower colour and three replications. Th e planting mediaare sand : and suitable ower stalk length in Malaysia. Full rice-hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v), soil : sand sunlight will delay and slow down the growth of : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v), soil : rice-hull charcoal : plants and cause death of plants. cow manure (1:1:1 v/v), and soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v);are mini-tuber weight 1-5 and 5.1-20 g. The In IndiaT. leontopetaloides tubers are usually result showed Polynesian arrowroot grow best on cooked, boiled with leaves of guava or tamarind to sand : rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) and avoid the irritating property of the tubers, or roasted rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1 v/v) media. Both as vegetables (Misra and Misra, 2014). In the propagules sizes can be used, but plants from large tubers are used as famine food (Bevacqua, 1994), mini tuber had better growth and produced larger and it is a staple food in Mozambique (Bruschi et al. mother and daughter tubers. 2014). Ndouyang et al. (2014) stated that the Tacca genus has toxic alkaloid taccalonolid E and A. Key words: mini tuber, parent tuber, Polynesian Furthermore Ukpabi et al. (2009) stated that the arrowroot,organic media planting , secondary tuber bitterness inT. leontopetaloides comes from taccalin (3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxy-avylium-3-xyloside), a phenolic compound, that should be processed Introduction before eaten by livestock (Ubwa et al ., 2011).

Polynesian arrowroot or Some medicinal uses of this plant has been (Linn.) O. Kuntzeisfrom Taccaceae family ( Heyne , documented, such as to reduce chest pain and to 1987; Meena and Yadav, 2010), is an annual tuber cure rashes on newborn baby (Nandwani et al., (Spenneman, 1994; Wilkin et al., 2005), 2008), to relieve pain of the body and stomach, and it hermaphrodite dioecious (Wilkin et al., 2005) and an is considered as antidote of food poisoning, and underutilized source of starch in Indonesia.This possesses analgesic, antipyretic and anti- plant is herbaceous (Abdullah et al., 2014; Booth et inammatory activities (Jiang et al., 2014).

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Phytochemical screening of T. leontopetaloides manures. Media used in this research should showed that their leaves contain alkaloids, saponins resemble the media where Polynesian arrowroot and tannins whereas the tuber only contains was found in nature, media combination that have alkaloids (Borokini and Ayodele, 2012).The tuber high porosity i.e. sand and rice hull charcoal for also contains avonoid (Ukpabi et al., 2009), and this porosity, soil and cow manure as clay source, nding is differed from Habila et al. (2011) that binding agent, as well as nutrient source. Mualim reported no avonoids inT. leontopetaloides . Habila (2009) reported that cow manure application et al. (2011), however, reported that T. increased soil pH, P25 O , K 2 O, decreased C-organic, leontopetaloides has antioxidant activities of 86% at and change the soil texture from clay to dusty clay in 125 μg.mL-1 , reducing potential and total phenolic Talinum triangulare cultivation. content express in terms of Gallic acid equivalent (GAE) 0.217nm, 6.90 mg, compared with Gallic acid Farmers in Madura Island cultivated tacca by using standard (1.268nm). Jiang et al. (2014) stated that mother tubers as propagules and harvest the 120 constituents have been isolated from T. daughter tubers, but there has no report on using leontopetaloides, including steroidals, phenolics, mini tuber produced from seedlings and their avonoids, sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids and cultivation.This cultivation tradition decreases the starch. Steroidals and diarylheptanoids showed harvest because the use of big tuber as propagule. potent bioactivities, such as cytotoxic, microtubule- Mini tubers can befound on land cultivated with T. stabilizing, NF-kB activation and PPAR leontopetaloides, but they are usually lay idle, or transcriptional and insecticidal activities. The starch disturb the planting distance needed for producing fromT. leontopetaloides has high amylase content big tuber, and were treated as weeds. Spennemann and showed potential uses in food and drug system. (1994) stated that in traditional and Huang et al. (2002) stated that extract from T. modern cultivation of Polynesian arrowroot only leontopetaloides can be used against slugs and harvest the big tubers, while the small tubers are left snails. behind in the holes. A new tuber formed close to the one of the previous year. Although the tubers are Evaluation of the physicochemical properties of generally described as small, there are reports of fresh and stored (4 months) Tacca tubers showed larger tubers, weighing over 500 g. The number of that the bitter brown skinned tuber had 28.25- tubers of each mature plant can range from one to 29.00% dry matter, 25.00-27.25% starch 40-43 well over thirty, with numbers between ten and mg/100 g ascorbic acid, 3.15-3.58% crude avonoid twenty being the most common. The plants tend to extract,and a density of 1.67 g.mL-1 density (Ukpabi show preponderance for small tubers, with a few big et al., 2009). The proximate composition of the tuber ones added. In onion cultivation in Nigeria, large esh was 1.10-1.50% protein, 2.70-2.73% ash, 0.28- onion bulb (Allium cepa ) can be used for growth, high 0.68% ber, 0.08-0.10% fat and 95.02-95.42% total yield and better quality of onion seeds (Ashagrie et carbohydrate on dry matter basis (Ukpabi et al., al., 2014). Hussain et al. (2001) reported that 2009), and Marcel et al. (2012) reported that the medium size bulbs had greater leaf production than tubers have 35% starch content. small and large bulbs.

People still use starch from Tacca tubers as staple This research aims to nd media composition and food in Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia. Tacca tuber sizes that can be used to cultivate Polynesian has many benets, one of them is that it grows on arrowroot. sand in tropical seashore areas, rain forest and subtropical rain forest (Heyne , 1987; Meena and Yadav, 2010). The vast idle tropical seashore areas Materials and Methods in Indonesia can be made more productive by producing starch fromT. leontopetaloides . Treatments Spennemann (1994) stated that T. leontopetaloides was found to grow on very ne to medium soil with The experiment was conducted in Bogor, Indonesia low to medium humus content. T. leontopetaloides from October 2013 to May 2014 and laid out in height of leaves and owercan reach 0.2-1.2 m and completely randomized block design with 0.8-1.8 m, respectively, when grown understory of twofactor s , compositionof planting media and mini coconut tree,Artocarpus altilis or tuber weight, with three replications.Th e tectorius. Pate et al. (2014) study in Nigeria reported composition ofplanting mediatested are sand : rice that intra-row spacing of 20 and 25 cm, application of hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v), soil : sand : NPK and poultry manure produced higher tuber cow manure (1:1:1 v/v), soil : rice hull charcoal : cow production of Polynesian arrowroot than using cow manure (1 :.1:1 v/v), and soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v)

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The tuber propagules are grouped into 1-5 (small 58.8-62.5 % greater than that in soil : sand : cow tubers)and 5.1-20 g (large tubers) . The propagules manure (1:1:1 v/v). The plants did not form new came from Sumenep, Madura Island. The shade leaves between 19-22 WAP,but leaf number on sand percentage was 35%. Duncan Multiple Range Test : rice hull charcoal : cow manure media (1:1:1 v/v) was used on variables that were signicantly was31.5-44.5% greater than that in soil : cow different (P<0.05). manure (1:1 v/v).

In addition, individual leaf area of the plants grown in Results and Discussion sand: rice hull charcoal : cow manure media (1:1:1 v/v) was larger and the plants grew faster. Shoot Composition of Planting Media and Polynesian diameter was affected by media composition on 15- arrowroot growth 22 WAT. Shoot diameter of the plants grown in sand: rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) was Plants grown on soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v) media 51.38-71.17% greater than that inthose in soil : cow had the lowest values on all growth variables manure (1:1 v/v), likely due to a larger leaf area. observed (Figure 1 and 2). Plants on sand : rice-hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) media were 36.90- Relative growth rate was not affected by media 47.98% taller those on soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v), composition. Tacca grown on sand : rice hull and those grown in soil : rice hull charcoal : cow charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) had22.98% higher manure (1:1:1 v/v) were31.13-37.34% taller than RGR than those grown on soil : cow manure (1:1 those grown in soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v) (data not v/v), likely due to greater leaves, , tuber, and shown). root dry weight.

Leaf emerged on 6 WAT (weeks after planting) in soil Net assimilation rate was affected by how much the : rice-hull charcoal : cow manure media (1:1:1 v/v). leaves shaded each other. Tacca grown on sand : Leaf number wasaffected by media combination at rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) had 16-18 WAP. Leaf number of the plants grown on 104.7% higher NAR than those grown on soil : cow sand : rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) was manure (1:1 v/v), likely due to greater leaf area.

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Figure 1. Growth variables ofT. leontopetaloides at different media combination (A-D): (a) plant height (cm) at 4 and 22 WAP; (b) number of leaves at 6, 18, 22 WAP; (c) leaf area (cm2 ) at 22 WAP; (d) relative growth rate (g per day) at 18-24 WAP; and (e) net assimilation rate (g.cm-2 per day) at 18-24 WAP where A = sand : rice hull charcoal : cow manure; B = soil : sand : cow manure; C = soil : rice hull charcoal : cow manure; D = soil : cow manure.

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Weight difference between total tuber produced to soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v), whereas on sand : rice initial mini tuber was affected signicantly by media hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) was 401.80% combination on 1-24 WAP (data not shown).The greater than that on soil : cow manure (1:1 v/v) weight of daughter tubers on sand : rice-hull charcoal (Figure 2). : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) was 216.54% than that on

Figure 2.T. leontopetaloides tuber production at different media combination (A-D) at 24 WAP: (a) mother tuber weight (g); (b) mother tuber diameter (cm); (c) mother tuber thickness (cm); (d) daughter tuber weight (g); (e) daughter tuber diameter (cm); (f) daughter tuber thickness (cm); (g) weight differences between parent and secondary tubers (g); (h) weight differences between total tuber produced and parent tubers (g), where A = sand : rice hull charcoal : cow manure; B = soil : sand : cow manure; C = soil : rice hull charcoal : cow manure; D = soil : cow manure.

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Tuber Sizes and Polynesian arrowroot growth large tubers (5.1-20 g). However, the leaf area was 47.13% smaller. Plant height was affected by tuber size at 13-22 WAT (data not shown). The plants from larger tubers (5.1- Shoot diameter of the plants from 5.1-20 g tubers 20 g) were 65.09-81.73 % taller than those from the was signicantly larger than the plants from 1- 5 g smaller tubers (1-5 g). Leaf number was affected by tubers. No signicant effect of tuber size on RGR and tuber size at 19-20 WAP.Plants from small tubers (1- NAR (Figure 3). 5 g) had 20.4-5.0% more leaves than those from

Figure 3. Growth variables ofT. leontopetaloides small (1-5 g) and large (>5-20 g) tubers: (a) plant height at 4 and 22 WAP; (b) number of leaves at 6 and 22 WAP; (c) leaf area (cm2 ) at 13 and 24 WAP; (d) relative growth rate (g per day) at 18-24 WAP; (e) net assimilation rate (g.cm-2 per day) at 18-24 WAP.

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The tuber size signicantly affected the sizes of the respectively. Large propagules (5.1-20 g) produced daughter tuber harvested, mother tuber diameter, 166.52 and 54.61 % larger mother and daughter mother and daughter tuber thickness (Figure 4, data tubers, respectively, than small propagules (1-5 g), not shown). Large tubers (5.1-20 g) had signicantly and the mother and daughter tubers produced were greater mother and daughter tuber weight, mother 29.86 and 59.93% thicker than the initial mini-tuber and daughter tuber thickness than small tubers (1-5 propagules. g), i.e. 166.52,54.61 , 29.86, and 59.93% ,

Figure 4.T. leontopetaloides small (1-5 g) and large (>5-20 g) tuber production at 24 WAP: (a) mother tuber weight (g); (b) mother tuber diameter (cm); (c) mother tuber thickness (cm); (d) daughter tuber weight (g); (e) daughter tuber diameter (cm); (f) daughter tuber thickness (cm); (g) parent and secondary tubers weight differences (g); (h) weight differences between total tuber produced and parent tuber weight differences (g).

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Media composition inuenced Tacca growth and ornamental and medicinal plant.Transanction tuber production. In Madura Island, Polynesian of the Malaysian Society of Plant Physiology arrowroot mostly found grow on sand in the seacoast 22, 13-15. that has good drainage. This condition is similar to rice hull charcoal media in this experiment. Rice hull Ashagrie, T., Belew, D., Alamerew, S., and charcoal (Saleh, 2010) and cow manure (Mualim, Getachew, Y. (2014). Effects of planting time

2009) has higher C-organic, N, and K2 0 than sand, and mother bulb size on onion (Allium cepa L.) which resulted in better plant growth and greater seed yield and quality at Kobo Woreda, tuber weight. Nothern Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Research 9, 231-241. T. leontopetaloides grown on soil : cow manure media (1:1 v/v) had the lowest value on all growth Bevacqua, R.F. (1994). Origin of horticulture in growthvariables due to slow leaf emergence, more Southeast Asia and the dispersal of leaves of smaller sizes, low RGR and NAR, that was domesticated plants to the Pacic Islands by the opposite ofT. leontopetaloides on sand : rice hull Polynesian voyagers: the Hawaiian Islands charcoal : cow manure (1:1:1 v/v) media. Media case study.HortScience 29 , 1226-1229. composition with high porosity supported better T. leontopetaloides growth. Large tubers associated Booth, R., Harwood, R. K., and Mangion, C. P. with high carbohydrate content (source) promoted (2004). "Field Key for the Monsoon Rainforest better growth (sink). Soemonoet et al.(1986) found Flora of the Darwin Region". 95 pp. Northern onAmorphopallus campanulatus that plants from University Press. large tuber propagules grow faster, had an increased LAI and signicantly produced larger tuber weight Borokini, T.I., and Ayodele, A.E. (2012). per plant and per hectare. Phytochemical screening of Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze collected from Farmers in Madura Island cultivated T. four geographical locations in Nigeria. leontopetaloides by using mother tubers as International Journal of Modern Botany 2, 97- propagules and harvest the big daughter tubers. 102. This cultivation tradition decreases the harvest because the large tubers are used as propagule.T. Bruschi, P., Mancini, M., Mattioli, E., Morganti, M., leontopetaloides are harvested mostly from the wild, and Signorini, M.A. (2014).Traditional uses of and limited information available on culture and plants in a rural community of Mozambique types of propagules used for cultivation.The results and possible links with Miombo degradation of this study showed that mother tuber size became and harvesting sustainability. Journal of larger when using mini tuber, and produced daughter Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10, 1-22. tubers. Therefore mini tubers can be used as propagules to produce Taccatubers for consumption Habila, J.D., Bello, I.A., Dzikwe, A.A., Ladan, Z., and in the future. Sabiu, M. (2011). Comparative evaluation of phytochemicals, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of four medicinal plants native to Conclusion Nothern Nigeria. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 5, 537-543. Polynesian arrowroot grow best on media combination of sand : rice hull charcoal : cow manure Heyne,( K. 1987 )“ . Tumbuhan Berguna Indonesia I ” . (1:1:1 v/v) and rice hull charcoal : cow manure (1:1 2521 p.Yayasan Sarana Warna Jaya , v/v). Both mini tuber sizes can be used as Jakarta, Indonesia. propagules, but larger mini tuber size produced better growth and larger mother and daughter Huang, Y., Liu, J.K., Muhlbauer, A., and Henkel, T. tubers. (2002).Three novel Taccalonolides from the tropical plantTacca subflaellata . Helvetica Chimica Acta 85, 2553-2558. References Hussain, S. W., Ishtiaq, M., and Hussain, Abdullah, T.L., Misrol, M.Z., Stanslas, J., Abd Aziz, S.A.(2001). Effect of different bulb sizes and M., and Goh, L.P. (2014). Effect of shade and planting dates on green leaf production of morphological characterization of Janggut onion (Allium cepa L.). Online Journal of Adam (Tacca sp.) as a promising native Biological Sciences 1, 345-347.

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Jiang, J. H., Yang, H. M., Wang, Y.L., and Chen, Y.K. to fertilizer and intra-row spacing at Garkawa. (2014). Phytochemical and pharmacological Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare studies of the genus Tacca: a review. Tropical 4, 97-101. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 13, 635- 648. Saleh, I. ( 2010 ). “P engaruh metode pemupukan dan kombinasi komposisi media tanam dengan Meena, K. L., and Yadav, B. L. (2010).Tacca pengapuran terhadap pertumbuhan cabe jawa leontopetaloides(Linn.) O. Kuntze. Indian (Piper retrofractum Vahl)” (Fertilizing method Journal of Natural Products and Resources 1, and media composition and liming on Piper 512-514. retrofractum Vahlgrowth) . Skripsi. Program Studi Agronomi dan Hortikultura, Fakultas Marcel, N.R., Makhlouf, H., Nicolas, N.Y., Leopold, Pertanian, Institut Pertanian Bogor. T.N., Balaam, F., Joel, S., and Carl, M.F. (2012).Comparative physicochemical, Soemono, S., Baharsjah, J.S., Wiroatmodjo, J., and thermal and microstructural properties of Tjitrosoedirdjo, S. (1986). Pengaruh bobot bibit from two under utilized terhadap pertumbuhan, hasil dan kualitas umbi ecotypes. International Journal of suweg (Amorphophallus campanulatus Bl.) Biosciences 2, 64-74. pada berbagai umur (The effect of tuber weight on growth, yield and quality of Amorphopallus Misra, S., and Misra, M.K. (2014). Ethno-botanical campanulatus Bl. tuber at different ages). study of plants with edible underground parts of Buletin Agronomi 17, 17-22. south Odisha, India. International Journal of Agricultural and Food Science 4, 51-58. Spennemann, D.H.R. (1994). Traditional arrowroot production and utilization in the Marshall Mualim, L., Aziz, S.A., and Melati, M. (2009). Kajian Islands.Journal of Ethnobiology 14 , 211-234. pemupukan NPK dan jarak tanam pada produksi antosianin daun kolesom (NPK Ubwa, S.T., Anhwange, B.A., and Chia, J.T. (2011). fertilizer and plant spacing on leaf anthocyanin Chemical analysis of Tacca leontopetaloides production of waterleaf). Indonesian Agronomy peels.American Journal of Food Technology 6 , Journal 37, 55-61. 932-938. DOI: 10.3923/ajft.2011.

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