Productivity and Yield of Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth) in Community Forest using Agroforestry Patterns in Tommo District, Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province

Abstract

Abstract The productivity of patchouli plants in Indonesia still needs to improve. This is because patchouli cultivation is generally carried out using a monoculture and shifting cropping pattern, which causes land degradation. This study aims to determine the productivity and yield of patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth) in community forest using agroforestry patterns in Tommo District, Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province. The study used observation, survey, interview, and questionnaire methods. Respondents were selected using a purposive sampling method of 30 respondents who cultivated patchouli plants using an agroforestry system in community forests. In-depth interviews were conducted with these respondents, followed by a survey of their patchouli cultivation area. The findings revealed that the average annual production of patchouli plants in community forests employing an agroforestry approach amounted to 8,604 kg/year through two harvests on an average land area of 0.74 hectares. Consequently, the average patchouli plant productivity is 10,697.26 kg/ha per year. Patchouli production consists of leaves and twigs that the community has dried and then distilled using conventional distillation equipment. The average yield from the distillation of patchouli leaves and twigs into patchouli oil is 1.96%. Consequently, the productivity of patchouli oil that can be obtained from cultivating patchouli plants is around 209.67 kg/ha per year, equivalent to 246.67 litres/ha per year. The productivity and yield of patchouli plants in the agroforestry pattern are generally lower than in the monoculture pattern, with an average productivity of 13,279 kg/ha per year and a yield of 2.83%. Still, the agroforestry pattern provides added value by producing forestry and agricultural plants combined with the patchouli plant.