Sains Malaysiana 45(4)(2016): 507–515

Growth Stages of Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior) Plant

(Tahap Tumbesaran Tumbuhan Kantan (Etlingera elatior)

 

S.Y. CHOON & P. DING*

 

Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia

43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

 

Received: 13 October 2014/Accepted: 19 October 2015

 

ABSTRACT

Torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) is a herbaceous clumping plant. It is a multifunctional crop that has been used for culinary, medicinal, antibacterial agent, ornamental and floral arrangement purpose. However, from the literature, no work has been carried out to study its growth and development morphological characteristics. It is important to understand the developmental morphology of the torch ginger plant for research purpose, commercial usage and apply proper production practices by growers for higher yields and profits. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the time course of morphological changes during the growth and development of torch ginger. Results showed that it took 155 days from leafy shoot emerging from rhizome until senescence of inflorescence. The growth and development of torch ginger plant were divided into vegetative and reproductive phases. The vegetative phase mainly involved the growth activities of leafy shoot. The transition of vegetative to reproductive phase happened when the inflorescence shoot emerged from the rhizome. In the reproductive phase, the growth and development of the inflorescence were categorized into four phenological stages which were peduncle elongation, inflorescence emergence, flowering and senescence. The growth pattern of the leafy shoot and inflorescence demonstrated a monocarpic plant growth habit with the remobilization of photoassimilates from senescing plant parts to developing true flowers that caused whole-plant senescence. Further research is needed to study the mechanisms that regulate flowering and senescence in torch ginger plant.

 

Keywords: Monocarpic; morphology; phenology; photoassimilates remobilization; whole-plant senescence

 

ABSTRAK

Kantan (Etlingera elatior) adalah merupakan tanaman herba. Kantan merupakan tumbuhan yang mempunyai pelbagai fungsi yang boleh digunakan dalam masakan, perubatan, sebagai agen anti-bakteria dan gubahan bunga. Walaupun demikian, tiada kajian dijalankan ke atas ciri morfologi tumbesaran dan perkembangannya. Memahami perkembangan ciri morfologi kantan adalah penting untuk penyelidikan dan kegunaan komersial dan penanam juga boleh mengaplikasi amalan pengeluaran yang sesuai untuk memperoleh hasil dan keuntungan yang lebih tinggi dan lumayan. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan perubahan ciri morfologi dalam tumbesaran dan perkembangan kantan. Keputusan menunjukkan kantan mengambil masa selama 155 hari berkembang daripada kemunculan pucuk daun sehingga penuaan bunga. Tumbesaran dan perkembangan pokok kantan terbahagi kepada fasa vegetatif dan reproduktif. Fasa vegetatif melibatkan aktiviti pertumbuhan daun pada pucuk. Peralihan fasa vegetatif ke reproduktif berlaku apabila pucuk bunga tumbuh keluar daripada rizom. Dalam fasa reproduktif, tumbesaran dan perkembangan bunga dikategorikan kepada empat peringkat fenologi iaitu pemanjangan tangkai bunga, kemunculan perbungaan, berbunga dan senesen. Corak tumbesaran pucuk daun dan perbungaan kantan menunjukkan tabiat tumbuhan monokarpa yang melibatkan mobilisasi fotoasimilat daripada bahagian tumbuhan yang mulai tua ke bunga sebenar dalam perkembangannya. Akhirnya proses ini menyebabkan kematian pada pokok tersebut. Penyelidikan lanjutan diperlukan untuk mengkaji mekanisme yang mengawal pembungaan dan penuaan kantan.

 

Kata kunci: Fenologi; mobilisasi fotoasimilat; monokarpa; morfologi; penuaan seluruh tumbuhan

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*Corresponding author; email: phebe@upm.edu.my