Dr. Aziz Purwanto, lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Agriculture, was officially appointed professor in ornamental plant biotechnology on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Senate Hall, UGM Central Office.
During the ceremony, Professor Purwanto delivered an inaugural speech titled “Ornamental Plants: Functions and Breeding Efforts Using Biotechnology.”
In his speech, Professor Purwanto shared that his interest in ornamental plants began during his undergraduate studies at the UGM Faculty of Agriculture.
At that time, he offered a variety of cactus plants with different colors and shapes.
After becoming a lecturer and completing his master’s and doctoral studies at the Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University, Japan, he decided to focus on ornamental plants as his work area.
According to Professor Purwanto, ornamental plants are no longer just for beautifying gardens, home yards, or interiors. They have now become multifunctional commodities.
The first function he mentioned is that ornamental plants can balance and maintain ecosystems.
“Ecosystem services based on ornamental plants play roles in security, contact with nature, and the development of harmonious social relationships,” he said.
Furthermore, Professor Purwanto noted that ornamental plants efficiently neutralize indoor air and create a fresh ambiance, which can be used as a therapeutic and health-promoting element.
In addition, planting ornamental plants is said to reduce stress and anxiety and make people feel happier and more relaxed.
The application of biotechnology has proven applicable for the breeding of ornamental plants.
Conventional breeding aims to produce cultivars with better aesthetic traits, such as improvements in flower attributes, including color, shape, pattern, and other characteristics.
Lastly, Professor Purwanto mentioned that the export value of ornamental plants increased by 11.5 percent in 2021. However, he believes the export market potential has not been fully optimally developed.
“With Indonesia’s rich biodiversity of ornamental plants, it is possible to develop the ornamental plant industry in Indonesia with the 3P concept: profit, people, and planet,” he emphasized.
In her speech, UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia mentioned that Professor Purwanto is one of 452 active professors at UGM.
At the faculty level, he is one of 26 active professors and 73 professors associated with the Faculty of Agriculture.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Photographer: Donnie