Application of drip irrigation technology for producing fruit of salak Gula Pasir (Salacca zalacca. Gula Pasir) off season on dry land

Naturaly, Salak Gula Pasir is flowering every there month or four times a year, but one or two flowering seasons that the flowers can develop into fruit. The condition causes Salak Gula Pasir is available in the market in a short period (only 2-3 months) i.e at the time of harvest (on-season) from December to February. This seasonal nature of Salak Gula Pasir occurs because Salak gula Pasir is planted on dry land where irrigation depens only on rainfall, and drought occurs when water is shortage so that the plant internal water content is laow that causes a hight failure develepment rate of flower to become fruit (fruit-set failure). This` was study was aimed to overcome the fruit-set failure by providing drip irrigation. Two treatments ( with drip irrigation and without drip irrigation/control) with sixteen replicates were tested at Salak Gula Pasir production centre (at Sibeten village, Bebandem District, of Karangasem Regency, Bali) at two harvest seasons, i.e Gadu (July and Sela II (October). The result showed that the plant provided with drip irrigation significantly yieled fruit-set percentage higher that without drip irigation, both in Gadu dan sela II seasons. The percentages of fruit-set in Gadu and Sela II season provided with drip irigation were 75.30% and 93.13%, respectively, while those without drip irigation were only 59,94% and 61.67%, respectively. The increse of fruit-set observed for drip irrigation treatment associated with the increase of leaf chlorophyl content, relative water content (RWC) of leaves, and leaf N,P,and K contents. The increase of fruit-set led to higher number of fruits and fruit weight per plant under drip irrigation than that without drip irrigation. Based on the results of this study, drip irrigation can beapplied to produce Salak Gula Pasir planted out os seasons ond dry land. Keywords : drip irrigation, dry land, fruit-set, off-sesason, Salak Gula Pasir.