Classification of Noni Plants (Morinda citrifolia L.)
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Divisio: Spermatophyta
- Sub-diviso: Angiosperms
- Class: Dicotyledoneae
- Order: Rubiales
- Family: Rubiaceae
- Genus: Morinda
- Species: Morinda citrifolia L.
Regional names of Morinda citrifolia L.:
Mengkudu (Indonesia), pace, kemudu, kudu (Javanese); cangkudu (Sundanese), kodhuk (Madura), wengkudu, tibah (Balinese), mangkudu, wangkudu, and labanan (Kalimantan), noni (Hawaiian), nono (Tahitian), nonu (Tonga), ungcoikan (Myanmar language) and Ach (Hindi),
 |
Description of Morinda citrifolia L.Noni is native to Indonesia, spreading from tropical Asia to Polynesia. This plant has a height of 3-8 m, many branches with rectangular twigs. Leaves are located opposite crossed, have petiole, oval to elliptical shape, leaf length 10-40 cm, width 5-17 cm, thick, shiny, flat edge, pointed tip, base narrow, pinnate leaf bones, dark green color. Flowers emerge from the axillary of the leaves, 5-8 in a bulb-shaped arrangement, with a tubular crown, trumpet-like shape, white. Flowers smell nice. Noni fruit stemmed, oval, in the form of compound buni fruit that gather together as a large fruit. Fruit length 5-10 cm, bumpy uneven surface, green color, if ripe fleshy and watery, pale or dirty yellow skin color, foul smelling, contains many black seeds. |
Growing Requirements for Morinda citrifolia L.
Noni can grow from lowland areas to an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level. Areas that can be used for noni cultivation can be in the form of moor, mountain slopes, or open land.
Noni should not be planted in polluted areas because the fruit can absorb pollutants strongly. The required temperature is 25 - 34 ° C with rainfall of 2,000 - 3,000 mm / year. Relative humidity (Rh) 50% - 70%. Noni should be cultivated on alluvial soil types, latosol and podzolic red and yellow.
This plant will grow and produce optimally when planted in fertile soil, contain lots of organic matter, have good aeration and drainage, and have a pH between 5.5 - 6.5.
M. citrifolia Cultivation
Land preparation The land that will be used as a noni cultivation area must be processed first, cleaned of residual roots, shrubs and trees. After it is clean, the land is loosened using a hoe or a plow. The slope of the land should be no more than 45 °.
On sloping land, a terrace should be made to reduce erosion. After the planting area is prepared, planting holes can be made at a distance of 2.5 m x 2 m, 3 m x 3 m. The planting hole is made with a size of 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm.
The planting hole is left open for 2-4 weeks to kill pests and remove toxic compounds or substances. The excavated soil is mixed with manure as much as 20-40 kg per planting hole.
A good nursery medium to get noni seeds with a high percentage of growth and good seedling conditions is a mixture of soil, sand, and compost (2: 2: 1). A mixture of soil and chicken manure (2: 1) is not recommended as a noni nursery medium (Lendri, 2003).
Based on the results of the research by Murniati and Suminar (2006), the optimum germination medium for noni seed germination is mixed soil media with compost with a ratio of 1: 1 (w / w).
Pre-germination treatment is not required as long as the seeds do not experience enforced dormancy. Genetically, noni seeds do not have dormant characteristics, dormancy occurs due to environmental factors (germination medium).
Preparation of Seeds M. citrifolia
Noni can be propagated vegetatively by grafting, grafting or tissue culture. One of the advantages of vegetative propagation is to obtain plant material with uniform growth and relatively the same production potential as the parent tree.
In addition to vegetative propagation, noni can also be propagated by seeds. This method is easier and preferred by farmers. The disadvantage of propagation by seed is that the growth is often not uniform.
To get healthy seeds, the fruit must come from a parent tree that is healthy, normal growth, at least 10 years old, and high production. The fruit to be taken from the seeds is allowed to rot until the pulp is released, then soaked in a bucket, the sinking seeds are taken, dried, then stored in an airtight container.
Seeds to be sown should be soaked in lukewarm water (temperature 55 ° C) for 15 minutes. The seeds are sown on a 10 cm x 15 cm polybag which has been filled with a medium in the form of a mixture of soil and fine manure with a ratio of 1: 1, then the polybags are given a transparent plastic cover. Seedlings that have 2-4 leaves and 10-15 cm height can be transferred to the garden.
Planting M. citrifolia
Seedlings that are ready for planting are immediately taken from the nursery. 1 seedlings are planted in the prepared planting hole per hole. Then the planting hole is closed with excavated soil mixed with manure. We recommend that you use straw mulch around the newly planted seeds to avoid weed growth and maintain soil moisture.
Maintenance
Fertilization M. citrifolia
Fertilization for noni cultivation should use organic fertilizer, namely manure or compost at a dose of 10 kg per plant in the first year. For the following years the fertilizer dose will be 15-20 kg per plant.
Fertilizer is applied by immersing it in the soil under the circle of the plant canopy. When using inorganic fertilizers, a mixture of urea, TSP and KCl can be given as much as 100 g - 300 g / plant or NPK as much as 300 g - 500 g / plant.
In the fertilization phase, high doses of TSP should be given so that it continues to bear fruit. Inorganic fertilizers can be given every 1-2 months depending on the state of plant growth.
Fertilization should be done before and at the end of the rainy season. At the beginning of planting noni must be maintained soil moisture. Watering should be done in the morning and evening. Watering intensity can be adjusted according to local rainfall and climate.
Weeding
Weeding should be done regularly every 2-3 months until the plants are 2-3 years old. After that weeding is adjusted to land conditions. To reduce fungal attack that can interfere with plant growth and increase production, pruning is best done. The pruned branches are weak, damaged, sore and watery shoots.
Pests and Diseases
The pests that usually attack the noni are leafworms which can eat all the leaves of the plant. Other pests that are also very annoying are mealybugs, which suck the fluid in the leaf tissue so that the leaves turn yellow and dry out.
These two pests not only reduce production but can also kill plants. Pest control should use vegetable pesticides or mechanical control by cutting and burning the affected parts of the plant.
The disease that usually attacks the noni is sooty mold (Capnodium spp.) Which covers the upper leaf surface so that it looks blackish and leaf spots (caused by the fungus Physalospora morindae) which causes the leaves to be hollow. (Hapsoh and Rahmawati, 2006)
Harvest and Post Harvest
Harvesting can be done after the plants are 4-5 months old, the noni harvest can take place every 2 weeks. Fruit production ranges from 500-1,000kg / ha.
The fruit that is ready for harvest is characterized by an evenly yellowish white skin color, but the flesh is quite hard. After harvesting the fruit must be consumed immediately or sent to the noni processing factory because the fruit cannot stand storage and rots easily. (Hapsoh and Rahmawati, 2006).
Half-ripe noni fruit is chopped thin, dried by aerating for two days and then stored in a drying cupboard at 38°- 40°C until dry. The dried fruit is stored in a closed container.
Each measure for one day use consists of 10 grams of dried noni fruit plus 2.5 grams of cat whiskers herb powder (Handayani and Budijanto, 1997).