Characterization of persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) as biodiversity originated from Indonesia

Abstract

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) belongs to the family Ebenaceae is widely grown in the climate zones range in the world. Persimmon grows well in media rich in organic matter with sufficient water content and generally at an altitude above 1000 masl. It is one type of subtropical fruit plant that is classified as rare in Indonesia. It has the potential to be developed for cultivation. The diversity characteristics of persimmon in each region are represented by the qualitative and quantitative. It may be caused by environmental factors or gene changes. Thus, the lack of environmental factors, plant growth will be disorder and will stop. Temperature is one of the factor affecting photosynthesis and plant metabolism at the cellular level. The difference in the temperatur range can be attributed to variations in latitude, topography, proximity to large bodies of water represented. The research aimed to identify morphological characters of persimmon at Selo District and to determine the level of persimmon diversity based on their morphological characters. The research was conducted in February – May 2020 in Selo Village, Boyolali, Central Java Province. This research used 15 samples of persimmon plant. The observation variable include geographical conditions and plant morphological characteristics (trees, stems, leaves, fruits). The data obtained were presented descriptively. The grouping of elements between samples was carried out by cluster analysis with the UPGMA method using the NTSYS. The results of the cluster analysis were presented in the form of dendogram. The results showed that Selo, persommon had various characters but several observation variables showed uniformity. The persimmon similarity coefficient is 0.66.