Ganoderma stem rot disease mapping and the chemical and biological characters of endemic lands

Abstract

Basal stem rot disease caused by Ganoderma is threatening the palm oil industry. Information on the distribution of Ganoderma in the land is an important aspect to maintain oil palm production by a replanting activity. This study aimed to determine the distribution of the disease in the areas and characterized the chemical and biological properties of the soil. The research was conducted at Laras field, PTPN IV, Simalungun, North Sumatera, with a covered area of 200 Ha that consists of 13 blocks. The disease mapping was carried out by observing Ganoderma disease symptoms incidence of each area. The soil samples were analyzed for the content of C-organic, Cu, and pH. The total bacterial and fungal populations such as N-fixing and P-solubilizing bacteria were also analyzed from the soil samples. The results showed that areas with low disease incidence were blocks 94A, 94B, and 94C which covering of 55 Ha. In these blocks, consecutively the remaining healthy stands were 47, 48, and 53 trees from 130 trees per ha. The organic matter content in the soil of the blocks ranged from 0.7-1.3% (<2%), ranging from 1.2-4.4% for Cu, 107cfu/g soil for the total bacterial population, and 104colony/g soil for the fungi.