Melinda Firds Program Management Unit Assistant
World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang,
Bogor Barat - Indonesia 16115
Tel: +62 2511 8625415
Fax: +62 2511 8625416
Email: icrafseapub@cgiar.org
As part of a broader pattern of recovery
after decline called forest transition, tree cover and
carbon stocks have increased through agroforestry
systems in many parts of Indonesia. The associated
tree diversity transition implies that only the most
useful parts of local tree flora are promoted. Swampland
jelutong, Dyera polyphylla, has been domesticated
in peat areas Jambi province, Indonesia. We
discuss jelutong domestication in two coastal districts,
referring to seven steps in a gradual change from
products collected from communal natural forests to
specific genotypes managed on private farms. Domestication
of D. polyphylla in Jambi was in the initial
stages three decades ago, when jelutong latex was
directly tapped from the trees in its natural habitat of
peat swamp forests. Tapping jelutong latex stopped in
2005 following the national regulation taxing forest
products. Some farmers then started jelutong cultivation,
motivated by the profitability of trading jelutong
latex in the past. Our on-farm study showed that
jelutong can be planted in various mixed agroforestry
systems, with rubber, coffee or oil palm as dominants. Planted jelutong with good farm management showed
diameter growth rates of 1.3 to 1.9 cm year-1. Onfarm
trials showed that dolomite as soil ameliorant did
not affect diameter growth, but had some effect on
height. Jelutong planted between young oil palm had
the best performance, while jelutong that was underplanted
in mature rubber gardens grew slowly. Slow
market revival currently constrains further tree domestication
of jelutong.
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