Benih Melon Rakitan Fakultas Biologi Dibudidayakan di Taman Buah Mekarsari
Benih Melon Rakitan Fakultas Biologi Dibudidayakan di Taman Buah Mekarsari
Melon cultivars developed by researchers from Faculty of Biology UGM has been cultivated at Taman Buah Mekarsari fruit centres in West Java.
Since 2017, varieties of melon have been massively developed at Taman Buah Mekarsari, which is a cooperation between PT. Mekarsari Unggul Sari (MUS) and Faculty of Biology UGM that was dating back to May 2017.
Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc, said this cooperation was an effort to encourage the increase in superior quality melon production. Previously, PT. MUS cultivated fruits using imported seeds.
“During this time, the melon cultivated by PT Mekarsari has been from imported melons,” he said.
PT. Mekarsari also has interest in a new cultivar from UGM, which is Melona that is sweet and rich in B-carotene. This melon has been registered at Agriculture Ministry in 2017.
“PT. Mekarsari very much expects to obtain the Melona seeds that will be soon cultivated for the Eid 2018 festival in June,” he said.
PT. Mekarsari paid a visit to the Faculty’s Green House and Screen House at PIAT UGM and in Bokoharjo Prambanan in Sleman on 12 April 2018, led by Dr. Azis Natawijaya, M.Si., research and production manager. In the visit, they were learning seeding methods and pest control.