INVENTARISASI ANGGREK HUTAN DI TAMAN WISATA ALAM BATUPUTIH, KOTA BITUNG, SULAWESI UTARA

ABSTRACT Orchid is the largest family that occupies 7-10% of flowering plants and has around 20,000 to 35,000 species. In Sulawesi, according to experts there are around 5000 species of plants that are not known with certainty about their spread and abundance. It has been estimated that approximately 253 endemic orchid species, around 80% of the total number of orchids. In the life stage, tropical orchid plants are epiphytic, with the root system attached to the tree, but does not harm the host tree. There are also those that grow geofitis, with other terms terresterial means to grow on the ground with roots in the soil. There are also those that are saprophytic, grow on the media of dried leaves and weathered wood that has rot into humus. To inventory forest species in Batuputih Nature Park, Bitung City, North Sulawesi. The study was conducted in January - February 2018. Data collection was carried out by exploratory methods. The types of orchids that were found during exploration in TWA Batuputih, which are sorted by the type most found on the three transects: namely Dendrodium sp with a total of 12 points at a height of 40-200 masl, Phaleonopsis amabilis with a height of 52 - 102 masl as many as 3 points while, Dendrodium indivisum with a number of 1 point, which is at an altitude of 136 masl, Nervilia aragoana as many as 10 points with an altitude of 10-84 masl, and Nervilia plicata found only 1 point, at an altitude of 52 masl. Of the five types consisted of 3 genera, namely Dendrodium, Phaleonopsis, and Nervilia, and 2 types of (habitats) terrestrial and epiphytes.Keywords: orchid, type and habitat of forest orchids

Morphophysiological characters of Dendrobium var. Yellow Splash as influenced by bioinoculants and different levels of benzyladenine

Dendrobium is the most commonly grown tropical orchid species in India and Kerala. They are highly specific about their nutrient requirement. The use of bio-inoculants in crop production of ornamentals has opened up a new possibility of using them for improving the growth and yield of orchids. Hence the objective of study was to evaluate the response of Dendrobium cv. Yellow Splash to different kinds of bio-inoculants viz., AMF, Azospirillum and a microbial consortia PGPR Mix – 1 developed from KAU, along with 50, 100 and 150 ppm of benzyladenine. The experiment consisted of ten different treatments involving bio-inoculants and benzyladenine. Plant height and number of leaves were maximum in the plants inoculated with AMF along with 100 ppm benzyladenine. Treatment comprising of Azospirillum and 100 ppm benzyladenine was superior in terms of other morphological parameters like leaf breadth, leaf area and plant spread. Maximum leaf length and highest number of shoots were observed in plants inoculated with Azospirillumand 150 ppm benzyladenine. Considering the floral parameters, both quantitative and qualitative attributes were found to be superior in the treatment consisting of AMF along with 150 ppm benzyladenine. Highest root length was observed under the treatment AMF along with 100 ppm benzyladenine while number of roots and root volume were maximum in the plants inoculated with Azospirillum and 150 ppm benzyladenine. Plants inoculated with AMF and 100 ppm benzyladenine had highest chlorophyll content while highest stomatal frequency was observed under the treatment Azospirillum and 100 ppm BA. From the study it could be concluded that inoculation of Dendrobium orchids with bio-inoculants like AMF and Azospirillum can significantly improve the morphological characters of the plants which in turn influence the production of quality spikes.

A new set of microsatellite loci for Cattleya walkeriana Gardner, an endangered tropical orchid species and its transferability to Cattleya loddigesii Lindl. and Cattleya nobilior Reichenbach

In this study, we isolate and analyse a new set of microsatellite loci for Cattleya walkeriana. Twenty-two primer pairs were screened for C. walkeriana (n = 32) and assessed for their transferability to Cattleya loddigesii (n = 12) and Cattleya nobilior (n = 06). All loci amplified for C. walkeriana; however, for C. loddigesii and C. nobilior, four and five primers, respectively, did not present amplification. The polymorphic loci presented between 2 and 13 alleles per locus for both C. walkeriana and C. loddigesii, with respective averages of 5.1 and 4.2. For C. nobilior, we found between two and five alleles per locus, with an average of 2.6. For C. walkeriana, observed heterozygosity varied from 0.100 to 0.966, whereas expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.097 to 0.900. The observed and expected heterozygosity for C. loddigesii and C. nobilior were also estimated. We found no significant linkage disequilibrium between any pair of loci, and evidence of null alleles at four loci (Cw16, Cw24, Cw30 and Cw31) for C. walkeriana. The combined power to exclude the first parent and combined non-exclusion probability of identity were 0.999 and 2.3 × 10−20, respectively. These new loci can be used in studies of germplasm resources, and assessments of genotypic and genetic diversity and population structure, thus improving the accuracy of such analyses and their applicability in the conservation and protection of these endangered species.

Microsatellite markers for Cattleya walkeriana Gardner, an endangered tropical orchid species

Cattleya walkeriana, one of the most improved Brazilian Cattleyas, is a popular tropical orchid endemic from Brazil and currently endangered. In the present study, for the first time microsatellite markers were developed for C. walkeriana and their transferability was tested for the species C. loddigesii and C. nobilior. The markers were used for genotyping 26 C. walkeriana specimens from different growers and from different levels of improvement. The transferability was successful, with five polymorphic loci transferred to C. loddigesii and six polymorphic loci to C. nobilior. Eight loci were polymorphic, revealing a maximum of two to ten alleles per locus in C. walkeriana and two to four and two to five in C. loddigesii and C. nobilior, respectively. There was no significant linkage disequilibrium in the studied loci. For C. walkeriana, the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0 to 0.963 and from 0.138 to 0.841, respectively. These markers identified polymorphisms and may be used to study the genetic diversity, gene flow or hybridization of these species.

Tropical orchid mycorrhizae: potential applications in orchid conservation, commercialization, and beyond

Orchid mycorrhizae are unique interactions in the plant kingdom involving all the orchids and a variety of fungi including Rhizoctonia. Orchids are one of the most charismatic plant families and include at least 20,000 species widely appreciated by specialist growers and scientists. They also include Vanilla, source of one of the most traded spices worldwide. Most mycorrhizal fungi belong to a group of basidiomycetes widely known for their pathogenic interaction with many crop plants including potatoes, rice, and beans. The main application of orchid mycorrhizal fungi is in the propagation of endangered and commercial orchid species, but we have recently documented an alternative use. The fungal symbionts of orchids have the ability to induce resistance to Rhizoctonia in rice plants, which opens new possibilities of biological control agents never previously imagined.