A team of academics from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI), conducted a community service activity in Gandasoli Village, Sukabumi, West Java. The activity took place over two days, from Saturday (October 23, 2021) to Sunday (October 24, 2021).
With the theme "Development of Musabotanica Arboretum as a Medium for Germplasm Conservation", the FMIPA UI team together with the Pandu Cendekia Foundation and DPPM UI invite the public to preserve biological biodiversity, especially plants from the banana group.
To be known Plasma nutfah is a substance that carries hereditary traits which can be in the form of a whole organ or part of a plant or animal as well as microorganisms.
Germplasm is a natural resource that is very valuable for the advancement of science and technology to support national development.
Gandasoli Village is a village with a high level of biodiversity. It boasts a variety of agricultural commodities that serve as the primary source of livelihood for the community.
Located in Cikakak District, Sukabumi, Gandasoli Village has fertile land and a strategic area for growing various plant varieties including bananas.
This is the background for the FMIPA UI Community Service team to help accelerate the development of banana commodities in the village.
"The development of the Musabotanica Arboretum is a form of germplasm conservation effort to maintain and develop the best banana varieties in Indonesia. We are carrying out this activity with the hope of helping improve the community's economic sector while also becoming a nature reserve tourist area in Gandasoli Village," said Dr. Retno to the Public Relations team of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia.
The creation of the Arboretum began with the identification and collection of various high-quality banana shoots. The activity continued with a joint community land clearing and the symbolic planting of banana shoots.
The team consisting of 6 students and 5 representatives from the Pandu Cendekia Foundation, together with the community, planted around 200 shoots from various varieties, such as kepok bananas, raja bananas, and horn bananas.
The planting activity was also accompanied by outreach and training on making planting holes for local farmers.
"A good planting hole must take into account fertilizer composition, hole size, and spacing between plants," said Somali, the banana planting instructor and outreach leader. He believes these factors are crucial for ensuring the bananas grow well.
This program was enthusiastically received by local farmers and villagers. "We appreciate the initiative of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, which has contributed to the development of banana commodities in Gandasoli Village," said Saeban, the Village Head of Gandasoli.
He hopes that through this activity, Gandasoli Village can become the best banana commodity producing area in Indonesia as well as become a conservation area for germplasm preservation.
