GENETIC CONSERVATION OF TEAK (TECTONA GRANDIS L.F

GENETIC CONSERVATION OF TEAK (TECTONA GRANDIS L.F)
WAKHID NURDIN
The Perhutani Research and Development Center
Jln Wonosari, Batokan, Cepu, Kabupaten Blora, Jawa Tengah,
Indonesia 58302
The demand of teak wood in Indonesia is around 2.000.000 m3 annually whether Perum
Perhutani, a state company as teak producer, only able to provide 400.000 – 700.000 m3
annually. The imbalance between demand and supply will directly disturb on forest
sustainability, destroying germ plasm, and also changing the ecosystem. If all obstacles not
immediately anticipated, during 20-30 years the teak forest at Java will completely extinct.
By the fact, it will occur the decreasing of teak genetic variation. The strategy to improve
genetic variation is by searching the genetic materials. This searching is concerned with activities
of conservation of superior genetic materials, which useful for the advanced of future tree
improvement programs. Genetic conservations is a comprehensive activity to encourage tree
improvement programs by protecting the variation of the base population genetic of certain
species. Perhutani conducted some strategies for conserving the teak genetic mostly with exsitu
conservation. The activity of this strategy is to maintain genetic materials from any disturbance
(forest fire, pest and diseases, illegal grazing, and illegal logging), to anticipate the negative
effect of tree improvement programs by infusing the germ plasm from natural population, to
make combination among any commercial purposes, to explore continuously the variability from
superior mother trees with biotechnology, to increase the attention of price of the trees and
encourage the private sectors by establishing timber estate with superior planting materials, and
also creating the multiplication technology of planting technique.
The threat of genetic conservation are illegal grazing, changing of land purposes, forest
fire, and illegal logging. The main priority is to increase the human care on trees and law
enforcement. The integrated exsitu conservation with the tree improvement programs is the most
effective program for conserving valuable genetic resources.
Key Words : teak (Tectona grandis L.f), genetic conservation, genetic material,
tree improvement, exsitu conservation