PUNTEN EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN

Punten Experimental Garden is one of the 8 experimental gardens under the coordination of
ICSFRI. Garden with an area of 2.7 ha located at an altitude of 950 m above sea level, and 6 km west
of ICSFRI office. It is functioned as a location for germ plasm management and initial distribution
terminal of free disease citrus propagation materials throughout Indonesia, which resulted from an
integrated laboratory of ICSFRI.
Punten Experimental Garden has 11 screen houses and nurseries. There are 2 units of big
screen house that functioned for the mother trees of free diseases (viruses) citrus, 1 unit for indicator
plants, 1 unit for Foundation Block, 3 units for Bud Tip Multiplication Block, 4 units for propagation, and
3 units of plastic nursery house for commercial production stocks. Citrus germ plasm in Punten
Experimental garden comprises of 211 accessions, 58 trees in pots of Foundation Block from several
commercial varieties, and in Assessment Institution of Agricultural Technology (AIAT) available 1.349
trees from 18 commercial varieties.
Production of free disease citrus propagation materials uses grafting which is the standard
method of commercial citrus propagation. Citrus rootstock used is Japansche citroen (JC) which is
known to have high adaptability in various types of land. JC seed planted in nursery beds and then
transplanted after 2-3 months old into polybags filled with growing medium. In 4-6 months later, seed
is grafted with scions of commercial varieties. Grafting seedlings are ready to send / plant usually after
having a minimum height of 50 cm or 4-6 months after grafting. The process production of breeder
seed and commercial seed is based on quality surveillance program based and certification by BPSB
(Control and Certification Service of Food and Horticulture Crops and Seed Quality).

Figure 1. Office of Punten Experimental Garden and free disease citrus seedling

The main problem is the difficulty of getting JC seed in time, both at Punten Experimental
Garden and at citrus seed grower in Indonesia. In order to solve this problem, ICSFRI will produce
citrus rootstock seedlings by Somatic Embryo using a bioreactor. Pest and disease attacks in the
nursery are also increasing; thus, more efficient control method associated with resistance to the use
of certain pesticides is required.
Until now, Punten Experimental Garden has served the request of free disease mother trees
for Foundation Block in 14 provinces, while Bud Tip Multiplication Block is in 19 provinces of citrus
producer in Indonesia. Various efforts have been made to increase the capacity of Punten
Experimental Garden as the production generator of free disease citrus propagation materials in
Indonesia, the service towards partners.