Effect of planting material and distance on establishment yield of Asystasia intrusa

 N.M. Suparjo and O. Ahmad Shokri

Abstract

The effect of planting material and distance on dry matter yield of Asystasia intrusa was studied. The treatments involved the use of planting materials, which consist of seed, seedling and stem cutting, together with planting distances of 5, 8 and 16 cm. The study showed that A. intrusa can be planted either by seed, seedling, or stem cutting. Though planting by seedling consistently produced high yield of 8.5 t/ha dry matter at all planting distances, planting by stem cutting produced the highest yield of 9.1 t/ha per cutting at establishment period of 18 weeks. This level of yield for stem cutting and seedling was significantly different (p <0.05) than 6.0 t/ha obtained by seed growth. In general, planting distance of 5 cm is adequate for planting A. intrusa as it produced the highest yield of 9.4 t/ha per cutting compared to 7.9 and 6.4 t/ha when grown at longer distance of 8 or 16 cm, respectively. However, the difference was not significant. There was an interactive effect between planting material and distance on yield (p <0.08). As a result, it is advantageous to plant A. intrusa by stem cutting with a 5-cm planting distance as it was capable of producing 14.1 t/ha per cutting. If it can be replanted three times a year, it is postulated to produce 40.8 t/ha/year of good quality fodder. At the same time, planting distance of 8 cm is recommended when planting by seeds. Asystasia intrusa can also be cut initially at 18 weeks after planting.

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