BIODIVERSITAS ISSN: 1412-033X Volume 18, Number 2, April 2017 E-ISSN: 2085-4722 Pages: 589-592 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d180220 Short Communication: Growth analysis of sentang (Azadirachta excelsa) in agroforestry system ARIFA MULYESTHI RAHMAWATHI 1,♥ , NURHENI WIJAYANTO 2♥♥ , ARUM SEKAR WULANDARI 2 1 Program of Tropical Silviculture, Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Jl. Lingkar Akademik Kampus IPB Dramaga Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia. Tel. +62-251-8626806, ♥ email: arifamulyesthisvk@yahoo.com 2 Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Bogor 16680, PO BOX 168-16001, West Java, Indonesia. ♥♥ email: nurheniw@gmail.com. Manuscript received: 21 November 2016. Revision accepted: 11 March 2017. Abstract. Rahmawathi AM, Wijayanto N, Wulandari AS. 2017. Short Communication: Growth analysis of sentang (Azadirachta excelsa) in agroforestry system. Biodiversitas 18: 589-592. Sentang is one of forestry plants which can be planted in agroforestry system. It is one of the important medicinal plants grown in different agroforestry systems and contains an active compound of azadirachtin. It has cone crown and balance branch that makes it suitable to be cultivated in agroforestry system which utilizes lower stratum or ground. This research aimed to analyze growth and nutrient content of sentang in agroforestry and monoculture system. Plantation site was in Conservation Unit Research Center for Biopharmaceutical IPB. The sentang was two years old. The design was complete randomized design with one factor (cropping system) and two treatments (agroforestry and monoculture). The results showed the increase of sentang height was higher in agroforestry system than the monoculture due to additional nutrition obtained by sentang in agroforestry system derived from fertilizing activity at the beginning of soybean planting. Nutrient content of sentang was higher in agroforestry plot than monoculture. Fertilizing activity of soybean led to an increase of sentang in agroforestry system. Keywords: Agroforestry, Azadirachta excelsa, nutrient content, growth analysis, cropping system INTRODUCTION Sentang is the common name of Azadirachta excelsa (Jack) M. Jacobs that belonging to the family Meliaceae. It is one of the important medicinal plants grown in different agroforestry systems and contains an active compound of azadirachtin (C 33 H 44 O 16 ). It is one of the triterpenoids compound and sources of good bio-pesticide. This compound of azadirachtin does not kill the insects directly, but it stimulates sterility in the adult stage, inhibit the growth and life cycle process, and act as a repellent, and antifeedant (Morgan 2009; Emerenciano et al. 2015). Sterility occurs because azadirachtin works by inhibiting hormone production. Azadirachtin compound is also effective to control over 195 species of insects such as armyworms and caterpillars (Trichoplusia ni and Pseudaletia unipuncta) (Akhtar et al. 2008; Mazid et al. 2011). In addition, the concentration of azadirachtin in sentang can be influenced by environment and not merely by genetic substances in the plant itself (Shukor and Seong 2006). Sentang is fast growing species and is usually harvested after five years of planting which provides an alternative to fulfill wood supply. Due to continuously increasing demand of wood for various needs, the wood supply for market purposes must be fulfilled. In Malaysia, sentang has been preferred as a commercial timber since 1997. Its wood can be utilized as lightweight construction, furniture, panel, and veneer. In Thailand, an average growth rate in girth size is 8-10 cm per year. Various parts of sentang tree (seed, flowers, and edible young shoots) have been used for traditional medicine. This particular tree has been reported for its effective use against human diseases such as heart disease, psoriasis, nerve disorders, diabetes, eczema, and blood pressure (Shukor and Seong 2006; Nordahlia et al. 2014). Besides several utilities, the cone-shaped crown also makes it a suitable for incorporating in agroforestry system. Agroforestry system is the utilization of components in time and space together (Alao and Shuaibu 2013)). Agroforestry can protect the soil from erosion and reduce the needs for fertilizer or nutrient from outside the plantation. The existence of recycling crop residue derived from the trees during the pruning time is very advantageous. Other common advantages of agroforestry are that it produces higher timber quantity and density (Datta and Singh 2007), increase the abundance and diversity of invertebrates of soil around the ecosystem (Kinasih et al. 2016), and increase wood growth and volume (Tomar et al. 2009). On the other hand, research about sentang in agroforestry system is still a little bit in Indonesia. Based on that reason, the research is to analyze growth and nutrient content of sentang in agroforestry and monoculture system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study area This experiment was performed in the land owned Conservation Unit Research Center for Biopharmaceutical Cikabayan, IPB Dramaga Bogor, West Java, Indonesia