Karakter Agronomi Tanaman Aren (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) untuk Produksi Nira

Abstract

This research was aimed to study the agronomic performance of tapped sugar palm tree and their sap production. Experiment used 15 productive trees of sugar palm that were tapped by 3 farmers. The observation including volume of sap every morning and evening for each male infloresence while brown sugar was observed everyday per farmer. Results showed that sugar palm trees in the research site of Desa Salagedang, Kecamatan Cibeber, Kabupaten Cianjur, have range of trunk height between 6.9 – 20.3 m, with a trunk circumference of 0.5–1.53 m and up to the 14th position of the male infloresence, it can still be taped for 50 days and producing sap with volume until 233.3 liters. Growth environment of sugar palm in the research sites had a pH range of 5.0–6.4, range of the light intensity under the canopy near the soil surface from 1243–49012 lux, and range of the temperature from 25.7–31.3 oC with a relative humidity of 53.7–78%. Sap production of male infloresence varied in the range of 6.5–1045.7 liters with an average 5.4 liters per infloresence perday, with tapping period range between 2–167 days. Morning tapping (with an average 118 liters/infloresence and averaging 3.1 liters per day per infloresence) generally 40.3% higher than evening tapping (with an average 84.1 liters/infloresence and averaging 2.2 liters per day per infloresence). Brown sugar that was produced has a yield approximately 14.2% of brown sugar weight of sap volume. Arenga sap has content 0.12% of fructose, 0.16% of glucose, and 12.47% of sucrose with a total 12.75%.