32 AGRIVITA VOLUME 33 No. 1 FEBRUARY-2011 ISSN : 0126-0537 EFFECTS OF LIGHT INTENSITY AND SEEDLING MEDIA ON THE GROWTH OF Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw SEEDLING Edi Wardiana *) and Maman Herman Indonesian Spice and Industrial Crops Research Institute Jl. Raya Parakansalak Km. 2 Parungkuda, Sukabumi 43357 *) Corresponding author Phone: +62-266-7070941 E-mail: ediwardiana@yahoo.com Received : February 12, 2010/ Accepted: July 6, 2010 ABSRACT This experiment was conducted at Pakuwon Experimental Station with altitude about 450 m above sea level and Latosol type of soil beginning from January until June 2009. It aimed to investigate the effect of light intensity and seedling media on growth of “Sunan” candle nut (R. trisperma) seedling. Split plot design with 4 replications was used in this study. The main plots factor are percentage of light intensity (I) consisted of two levels : I 1 (65%) and I 2 (100%), and the split plots factor are seedling media (M) consisted of five kinds of media: M 1 (50% soil and 50% sheep dung), M 2 (50% soil and 50% rice husk), M 3 (50% sheep dung and 50% rice husk), M 4 (33.3% soil, 33.3% sheep dung, and 33.3% rice husk), and M 5 (100% soil). Result showed that: (1) for better growth of R. trisperma seedling suggested to be shaded, and (2) mixed of the 50% soil and 50% sheep dung are the best media for it growth. Keywords: Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw, light intensity, seedling media, organic matter INTRODUCTION Development of a dynamic world energy consumption within the limitation of fossil energy reserve as well as the awareness on the environmental conservation evoke the increase of interest on a renewable energy, especially a renewable energy resources from a agricultural sector such as food crops, horticulture, estate commodities and animal husbandry (Prastowo, 2007). Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw, is one biofuel-producing plants from estate commodities which has a good prospect to develop in Indonesia. Until now, the study and research publication of these plant are still relatively limited. As well as the research publication about the optimal needs of light intensity and various of seedling media on the growth of R. trisperma seedling. Light plays a critical role in plant growth and development; both quantity and quality, as well as direction of light, are perceived by photosensory systems which, collectively, regulate plant development, presumably to maintain photosynthetic efficiency (Hanganter, 1997). Growth of autotropic plants is directly and dramatically influenced by light intensity (i.e. quantum flux density) which is the driving force of photosynthetic and provides nearly all of the carbon and chemical energy needed for plant growth (Bjorkman, 1981). Each species of the plant has a different level of tolerance to light intensity. There are plants that grow well in the fully light intensity, on the contrary there are some plants that grow well in shaded places. Similarly, the plant needs different light intensities for each stage of development. At the seedling stage requires a low light intensity relatively, but at the old ages requires more higher light intensity (Faridah, 1995; Suhardi, 1995). Besides the light intensity, the application of various materials for seedling media (i.e. soil and several kinds of organic matters) are also plays an important role for better growth of seedling. The organic matters is a material that commonly used as a mixture to the soil in making the seedling media. The function of organic matters is to improve the soil physical, i.e. soil structure and aeration, in order to facilitate the penetration of plant roots. And also Accredited B, SK No.: 65a/DIKTI/Kep/2008