Growth Inhibitor Effectively Suppresses White Meranti Seedling Growth in the Nursery

Image: article cover, from Irawan and Iwanuddin (2015), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Manado Forestry Research Institute has tested the use of a growth inhibitor on white meranti (Shorea assamica) seedlings in the nursery. The results show that the substance effectively suppresses seedling growth. White meranti is a commercial timber species from the dipterocarp family that grows in Sulawesi and is among those whose seeds deteriorate easily, making them difficult to store for long periods.

Of the several treatments tested, paklobutrazol at a dose of 250 ppm gave the best results. In six-month-old seedlings, this substance suppressed height growth by up to 75.14 per cent and diameter growth by up to 33.33 per cent. The study used a completely randomised design.

For nursery managers and communities living near forests, these findings offer a way of slowing seedling growth so that the planting stock remains well maintained before being planted out in the field. The study also mentions NaCl salt as another material tested, but paklobutrazol at 250 ppm remained the most effective treatment.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Effectivity of Using Growth Retardants on Shorea assamica Dyer Seedling at Nursery by Arif Irawan Irawan and Iwanuddin Iwanuddin Iwanuddin, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 2 No. 1 (2015). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Irawan, A. I., & Iwanuddin, I. I. (2015). Effectivity of Using Growth Retardants on Shorea assamica Dyer Seedling at Nursery. Jurnal Wasian, 2(1), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.62142/kesdnn35

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.