BIODIVERSITY OF SALAK PLANT (Salacca zalacca (Gaertner) Voss)

Suwaru Salak Plant ( Salacca zalacca ( Gaertner) Voss) have been in cultivation for along time, since the Dutch coloni era in Suwaru, Gondanglegi , Malang, Indonesia. They were propagated with seed (generative propagation) the segregation process make so far more diversity (hybrid lines) in populations at salak farm. There are three main cultivars (Budeng, Madu, and Gading) and 33 Suwarufruit Salak Lines ( SSL ). The purpose of this research was to find the mthod of improvement of the cultivars. Cultivars and hybrid lines (SSL) were tested at six different objectives using variance and cluster analysis. Six experiments had been carried out, i.e. : (1) phenotype potential of salak Suwaru : (2) pollen fertility; (3) type of crossing; (4) fruit set management; (5) the time management of harvesting; (6) phenotype evaluation of salak Suwaru genotypes. This mean that pollen fertility (iodine test method) was good since it exceeded 60 %. The D type male flower had least paternal effect of acid content for cv.Madu (0.08%). The B type male flower had a highest tannin content (0.33%), paternal effect (xenia) of tanin content than A type ( 0.17% ), nearly 2 x. Xenia occured whwn the male parent carried the factor or when dominance was incomplete. Fruit set management increased fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit volume, but decreased fruit length. The time management of harvesting increased the fruit weight and changed its edibility by increasing sugar content, decrease some acid and fruit tannin. Cluster and variance analysis showed that the degree of variance among the hybrid lines of salak Suwaru fruit was high. SSL10 and SSL28 hybrid lines may therefore be recommended as new cultivars