Infestation of Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. on Various Canopy Shading and Plants Diversity in Purwodadi Botanic Garden, Indonesia: A study on Cassia fistula L.

¹ Research Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor 16911 West Java, Indonesia
² Research Center for Plant Conservation of Botanic Gardens and Forestry – National Research and Innovation Agency, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor 16911 West Java, Indonesia
³ Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tay Nguyen, 567 Le Duan St., 63100 Buon Ma Thuot City , Dak Lak Province, Vietnam

^* Corresponding author: solikin@brin.go.id; lipisolikin@gmail.com

Abstract

Mistletoe Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. is a parasitic plant commonly found parasitizing and infesting medicinal plants such as Cassia fistula L. This research aimed to investigate the infestation of D. pentandra on C. fistula on various trees canopy shading, infested host number, and plant diversity. The study was conducted in Purwodadi Botanic Garden which is located in Purwodadi, Pasuruan, East–Java, Indonesia from January to March 2020. Data collection was conducted by explorative and descriptive methods in each block location in the garden. Sampling plots were determined by the purposive sampling method using 20 × 20 m plot⁻¹ in each block where the tree of C. fistula found. The canopy shading was categorized as: open (iv) = light interception > 90 %, rather open (iii) = light interception = 60 % to 90 %, rather shady (ii) = light interception 30 % to 60 %, shady (i) (light interception < 30 %). The result showed that the infestation of D. pentandra was affected significantly by the plant canopy shading and the infested host number in the blocks. The highest infestation of mistletoe D. Pentandra on C. fistula was found in the open canopy and the highest infested host plants in the block III.D with the parasite number 13 plant⁻¹ . The tree plant diversity in the blocks tend to have negative correlation to the infestation of D. pentandra on C. fistula with r = −0.18.