Exploration And Characterization Of Hanjeli Nutfah Plasma (Coix Lacrima-Jobi L.) In West Sumatra Province

Abstract

Hanjeli is one of the alternative food crops that are high in nutrients, healthful, easy to grow, and adaptable to a wide range of environmental circumstances. Due to the limited understanding of people who believe Hanjeli is a wild plant or weed, usage of this commodity is still quite low in Indonesia. To save and prevent the loss of genetic resources, it is vital to study, inventory, and characterize Hanjeli so that plant breeders can use it to create greater varieties in the future. The goals of this study are to: (1) learn about the existence and types of Hanjeli plants in West Sumatra Province; (2) collect Hanjeli germplasm; and (3) learn about the morphological diversity and level of similarity of Hanjeli plants as a starting point for germplasm conservation of Hanjeli plants in West Sumatra. This study took place in four districts/cities in West Sumatra Province from June to November 2021. This study is carried out using a survey method with purposive sampling. The NTSYSpc2.02i application is used to present morphological data descriptively and for similarity analysis. 69 Hanjeli accessions were discovered throughout the exploration process. Hanjeli grows between 6 to 1575 meters above sea level and can thrive in a variety of environments, including arid ground and regions near water sources (starting on the outskirts of streams to the edges of rice fields). For all characters, the phenotypic similarity study of Hanjeli plants yielded similarity coefficients ranging from 0.67 to 1. At 0.67, the accessions were divided into two groups: 66 accessions in the first group, and 3 accessions in the second group.