Leaf Area Index and Specific Leaf Area of String Bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) in Sukarapih Village, Tanjungsari, Sumedang Regency, West Java

• Main Author: Rindiana, Silvi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/42470
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Bamboo is a non-timber forest product that has the potential to become a wood substitute, but bamboo forest management is still traditional and focuses more on production management than plant physiological factors such as growth regulation, photosynthesis, nutrient transportation, etc. Physiological aspects that have an important role in plants growth and photosynthesis are Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA). LAI and SLA are biophysical factors that influence the continuity of photosynthesis, transpiration, interception, and energy balance indicators of vegetation, as well as determining the relationship between physical characteristics of the environment and crop canopy architecture. LAI and SLA values can vary according to the position of the leaf on the canopy and the location of the clump. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of LAI and SLA for each clump and each canopy level in species of string bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) which could be used for further research such as determining the rate of nett assimilation, photosynthetic efficiency, and photosynthesis rate. The method used to estimate the value of LAI and SLA is destructive and non-destructive by taking a sample of 5 clumps from a total of 100 clumps (sampling intensity: 5%). The results showed that the values of LAI and SLA varied in each bamboo clump. The largest LAI value is found in Clump 5 with a value of 9.40 and the smallest is in Clump 2 with a value of 2.32. The largest LAI value per canopy level is in the top level with a value of 5.75 and the smallest is in the bottom level with a value of 1.04. The average LAI value of the five clumps is 5.59. While the largest SLA value per clump is found in Clump 1 with a value of 9.78 m2/kg and the smallest is in Clump 5 with a value of 7.93 m2/kg. The largest SLA value per canopy level is in the top level with a value of 12.94 m2/kg and the smallest is in the bottom level with a value of 6.17 m2/kg. The average SLA value of the five clumps is 8.75 m2/kg.