Identified diseases would threaten on the expansion of Amorphophallus muellery Blume cultivation in Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract As one of the important agribusiness crops, Amorphophallus muelleri Blume’s cultivation areas, locally known as “porang”, have significantly increased in the past recent years. The increase in cultivation area has been triggered by the significant rise of corm price and by the government program for enlargement of the porang cultivation. Consequently, farmers would eventually grow the porang on open agricultural land. As a result of cultivation expansion, an increase in corm production is required to meet export demand. Like other tuber crops, which have been cultivated on large and open areas in Indonesia, the porang plant would similarly experience severe damage and even a failure of harvest due to the diseases. The present field observation found infections caused by fungi (Phytophthora colocasia and Sclerotium rolfsii) and a plant virus significantly reduced the corm yield. The paper presented the first report of the diseases on the porang plant. Thus, the expansion of the porang cultivation area in Indonesia would be challenged by the infestation of these diseases.