BRIN Develops Pollen Bank to Save Giant Corpse Flower from Extinction

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) continues to intensify conservation efforts for Amorphophallus titanum, or the giant corpse flower, a critically endangered flora endemic to Sumatra. Destri, who oversees the processing of living biological scientific collections at BRIN’s Cibodas Botanical Gardens, stated that the conservation program is currently focusing on studying genetic diversity and establishing a pollen bank to prevent inbreeding among existing collections.

Destri explained that the Cibodas Botanical Gardens were appointed as the institution implementing ex situ conservation for Indonesian plants, especially flora with endangered status according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. This designation serves as the foundation for the ongoing development of various conservation programs for the corpse flower at the site.

This pollen bank program was initiated because the seeds produced by the Cibodas Botanical Gardens are still closely related or sibling. Through pollen banking facilities, reserves of wild pollen from widely separated populations, such as those from Aceh, can be stored for later cross-breeding with collections grown in Java. "Pollen banking is crucial for preventing breeding between close relatives. By simulating the effect of vast population distances, we can cultivate collections with high genetic diversity," Destri explained.

This conservation project is a collaborative effort involving several research centers within BRIN, including the Research Center for Biota Systems (PRSB), the Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution (PRBE), the Research Center for Applied Botany (PRBT), and the Directorate of Scientific Collection Management (DPKI). The program also involves collaboration with researchers from the Chicago Botanic Garden, who are helping to fund the initiative.

According to her, the primary challenge in conserving the corpse flower lies in the fact that the female and male flowers do not mature at the same time. The female flowers ripen first, marked by the appearance of a carrion smell, while the pollen from the male flowers only bursts the next day when the female flowers have closed, so that the pollen that falls on the flowers themselves does not result in fertilization.

To prevent fungal rot during the controlled cross-pollination process, the team routinely sprays the plants with antifungal and antibacterial solutions in the morning. This technique has proven successful in producing fruit and seeds capable of germinating into new seedlings within approximately three months using a compost medium.

Destri noted that the conservation efforts at Cibodas go beyond merely saving specimens from extinction; they have also successfully surpassed world records. One of the Amorphophallus titanum specimens in the Cibodas Botanical Gardens once managed to bloom perfectly to a height of 3.7 meters measured from the leaf stalk, surpassing the highest record in the Guinness Book of Records, which is 3.1 meters.

Destri revealed that the specimen even flowered outside the expected cycle, with an impressive height each time it bloomed, before finally returning to its normal flowering pattern.

The specimen's resilience was achieved after the team overcame various field challenges, such as incursions by wild boars, which required the installation of wire fencing to keep the animals out of the conservation area. Additionally, the team had to contend with the risk of the corm rotting undetected underground, necessitating ongoing, routine monitoring of the plant's condition.