“The Effects of the soil

media to the growth

performance of Ipil (Instia
bijuga)”

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

TREE PHYSIOLOGY under Prof. Dane Christian P. Tulio

Prepared by:
Angelyn M. Paguigan

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
 A spreading tree up to 40 m (130ft) tall,vesi ( Intsia bijuga )is undoubtedly one of the
most highly valued trees in the Pacific island, both in terms of its traditional cultural
importance and its value for commercial timber. Its durable, easy-to-work, attractive dark
red-brown wood is especially favored for use in house building, furniture, and woodcarving.
It is in very high demand and decreasing in abundance in most locations due to
overexploitation for house posts, canoe making, and for woodcarving of valuable cultural
artifacts such as kava bowls and weapons, and due to indiscriminate modern commercial
logging.
In addition to the wide cultural use of its timber through- out its range, it also has
potential as a boundary marker or living fence post, for the production of fuelwood (from its
branches when harvested for timber or woodcarving), as well as for its considerable
medicinal value. Vesi tolerates a very wide range of environmental conditions. It grows in
rough limestone terrain, in sandy and muddy coastal soils, and on the inner margins of man-
groves in very dry climates as well as in seasonally wet coastal windward habitats and along
freshwater streams at considerable distances inland, sometimes along ridges. It is a tree that
should be considered under threat. Hu- man population pressure, extensive traditional use,
and in- creasing logging and commercial production of kava bowls and other artifacts for sale
to the expanding tourist mar- ket, coupled with the lack of a tradition of replanting, have
rendered exploitation of current populations unsustainable. There is a critical need for
systematic propagation and re- planting programs to address the situation. It is a tree that
should be replanted in forestry and agroforestry schemes, even though it is relatively slow
growing. It could also be considered for coastal reforestation programs because of its
adaptability to coastal habitats, and it is an excellent tree for roadside plantings, urban areas,
and tourist resorts. It also has considerable potential as an ornamental, given its attractive
glossy green leaves and beautiful orchid-like flowers.
It could also be tested on the larger wetter islands of Kiribati and Tuvalu, as it seems
to grow well on some of the wetter atolls of the Marshall Islands to the north and
Kapingamarangi Atoll to the west in Pohnpei state of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Statement of the Problem

This proposal seeks to answer the following problems:

1. Which of the seedlings is died and not die when we applied a soil media.

a) Total average height of ipil.

b) Total average diameter of ipil.

OBJECTIVES

General objectives:
 The general objective of the study is to determine the seedlings that grow fast and
grow slowly.

Specifically, the study aims to determine.

Total average height of ipil.

Total average diameter of ipil.

CHAPTER 2
 Review of Related Literature
Form- Normally 7–25 m (23–82 ft) at maturity, and in exceptional cases reaching 40
m (130 ft), with a spreading canopy; the bright green foliage often grows in subcrowns. The
tree grows upright in full sun (100–75% sun) and spreading in shade (50–25% sun). The
trunk can attain 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft) or more in diameter, with small buttresses. The bole is
usually straight and long, although it is often crooked and leaning in coastal situations. Its
bark is a distinctive light pinkish to reddish brown, weathering to light gray, smooth overall,
slightly dappled, peeling in irregularly sized scales (exposing fresh color underneath),
sometimes flaky. The inner bark is light pinkish brown grading to light yellow brown on the
wood; sapwood is white; heartwood is red
Flower- Vesi trees each have both male and female flower parts (bisexual). Individual
flowers are moderately large with four greenish sepals, corolla reduced to one large
petal,three stamens with seven staminodes. The petal is white (with red center) or pink to
purple or red. Flowers occur in axillary or terminal corymbose panicles. In PNG, flowers
have been observed year-round, with a peak in August around Madang. Flowers are reported
in May–June in Vanuatu and October–May in Fiji, and April–November in Samoa. Insects
(such as bees), birds, and wind are considered to be the major pollinators.
Leaves- Vesi’s bright, shiny, light-green foliage distinguishes the tree from others in
the forest. The leaves are pinnately compound, usually with four leaflets each 8–15 cm (3.1–
4.6 in) long, broadly elliptic, asymmetrical and medium to dark green. Two terminal leaflets
are very distinctive and hanging. Although vesi trees are evergreen, they tend to lose their
leaves periodically due to infestation of the species-specific psyllid Insnesia glabrascuta,
where present.
Fruit- are thick, rigid, oblong, or pear-shaped pods up to 10 cm (4 in) wide and up to
30 cm (12 in) long. Each pod contains two to eight dull-brown,rounded, flattened seeds about
2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide, with hard seed coats. In PNG,fruiting has been reported in all
months,with a peak in February. Fruiting is reported to be around December– January in
Vanuatu and between April and October in Fiji. In Samoa fruiting has been observed in
October–February and June–July and probably occurs in all months of the year.
Rooting Habit- Mature trees of the species have wide buttresses which, when fully
developed, may exceed 4 m (13 ft) wide. Some may also demonstrate a slight root swelling,
which depends upon site conditions. As the tree becomes larger it requires sufficient minerals
and support to sustain growth. A fibrous system would not work, so the woody roots expand
vertically, forming radial walls (buttresses) extending out from the sides of the trunk. This
root system enables the tree to cover the large and often thin layer of soil typical of tropical
environments or rock/limestone islands.This feature is considered a competitive advantage
that prevents the establishment of competing individuals in the space occupied by the
buttresses and provides additional tensile force to resist uprooting during cyclones.
Similar species- In the forests of Palau, vesi is easily distinguished by the leaf shape
and color, which stand out from the rest of the forest canopy. The asymmetrical leaflet
pattern, with the two terminal leaflets, is a very strong field identification characteristic for
this species in its native forests. Another legume closely related to vesi and similar in
appearance is Kingiodendron platycarpum, which is endemic to Fiji. Vesi can be
distinguished from Kingiodendron by the slightly more rounded, almost opposite leaflets and
terminal, attractive, white and pink to purple flowers, compared to the alternate leaflets and
axillary green to dull cream-colored flowers of Kingiodendron. The genus Intsia is closely
related to Afzelia, and it is difficult to assign botanical specimens lacking flowers or fruits to
either genus. Intsia di ers from Afzelia by Intsia’s three fertile stamens, its flat seeds lacking
an aril, and its leathery pods.
The genus Intsia comprises two species, I. bijuga and I. palembanica. Intsia bijuga is
the more widely distributed species and the only species of this genus that occurs in the
Pacific islands to the east of Papua New Guinea.Intsia palembanica is widespread in
Southeast Asia, extending eastwards as far as the island of New Guinea. Several species
formerly included under Intsia have been transferred to the genus Afzelia.
The speciesIntsia bijuga hastwo described forms,glabra and hirsuta, which are
considered to be local modifications of little significance (Smith 1985). In Samoa, where it is
used as a favored house post and for furniture and kava bowls, several varieties are
recognized based on wood properties (color,hardness, and grain straightness),including ifilele
ulu, ifilele o‘a, ifilele ala‘a, ifi toa, ifi‘ulu, ififatu, and ifisoga. The most common are ifi
toa,which has a hard, dark grain, and ifi ‘ulu, which has a smooth light colored grain. In
Kabara, in Fiji’s Lau Islands, where carving of vesi into kava bowls is the main source of
income, there is a similar discriminations of int vesi, which has a darker and harder grain, and
vesi uto, which has a lighter color and softer grain and is easier to carve. Vesi is considered to
be one of the priority species for conservation and genetic improvement in Samoa due to its
local importance for woodcarving and its threatened status in the wild. In Fiji (Kabara
Island), the conservation management of vesi requires monitoring the rate of consumption by
local people through keeping records of handcraft production and educating people about the
need for conservation.
ASSOCIATED PLANT SPECIES- Vesi is associated with mangroves, coastal forests,
limestone forests, riverine forests, and lowland coastal and ridge forests on volcanic islands.
It is also found in some atoll forests on wetter atolls and in areas of degraded forest and in
tree groves in shifting agricultural areas, such as in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, where the
tree is still quite common.
Associated native species - commonly found Commonly associated species in
limestone forests include, depending on the location, Pisonia grandis, Manilkara dis secta ,
Diospyros elliptica , Excoecaria agallocha , Cynometra, Maniltoa spp., Vavaea amicorum,
Planchonella grayana, Elat - tostachys falcata, Polyalthia amicorum , Santalum spp., and
Ficus spp. In coastal atoll forests, where it might be an introduction, it can be found with
Neisosperma oppositifolia, Pandanus tectorius, and other inland species. In mangrove
associations, it can be found with Barringtonia asiatica, Milletia (Pongamia) pinnata,
Inocarpus fagifer, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Thespesia populnea, Xylocarpus granatum, X.
moluccensis, and Heritiera littoralis.
Associated introduced species In some areas, either where vesi has been deliberately
planted or protected in fallow vegetation or secondary forest, such as in New Caledonia, it
can be found with other aboriginally introduced trees, such as candlenut (Aleurites
moluccana) and ylang ylang (Cananga odorata). In some places, such as New Caledonia,
Vanuatu, and Vava‘u,Tonga, vesi is sometimes found planted in villages in houseyard gardens
or protected in tree groves along with a range of other useful cultivated species.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Location of the Study

The thesis was conducted at the “Juvenile” nursery which is just recently establish
near the Research Laboratory of the College of Forestry and Environmental Management
(CFEM) Bldg., Isabela State University Cabagan Campus, Cabagan Isabela

Time and Date

This study was conducted from May-June 2023

Watering

Watering will be two times a day to maintain the soil moisture of the seedlings.

Treatment

Table 1. Shows the Treatments use for research.

Treatment Numbers Treatments

Treatment0 2 months

Treatment1 2 months

Treatment2 2 months

Treatment3 2 months
Experimental Layout

FIGURE 1 Experimental Layout for the “Juvenile” project arrange in a Completely

Randomized Design (CRD)
R1 it uses Pure Soil R2 it was R3 it was applied R4 it was applied
applied with with ( Rice Hull) with ( Animal
( Black Soil) Manure)
T0 S1 T1 S1 T2 S1 T3 S1
T0 S2 T1 S2 T2 S2 T3 S2
T0 S3 T1 S3 T2 S3 T3 S3
T0 S4 T1 S4 T2 S4 T3 S4
T0 S5 T1 S5 T2 S5 T3 S5
T0 S6 T1 S6 T2 S6 T3 S6
T0 S7 T1 S7 T2 S7 T3 S7
T0 S8 T1 S8 T2 S8 T3 S8
T0 S9 T1 S9 T2 S9 T3 S9
T0 S10 T1 S10 T2 S10 T3 S10

Data Analysis

Data will be collected every month and it will be analyzed after three months of
observation.
 CHAPRTER IV

Results and Discussion

Total average height of ipil.

Total average diameter of ipil.

As the study was conducted here are the result of the study.

Table 1. Showing the total of surviving Ipil seedlings in soil media.

Summary for data 1

TOTAL AVERAGE: Total average height of ipil.

Total average diameter of ipil.

Replicate Total average height of

Total average diameter of
ipil (cm)
ipil (mm)

T0 (ordinary soil) 43.2 7.1

T1 (ordinary soil + sand) 38.2 3.2
T2 (ordinary soil + 30.5 5.3
carbonized rice hull)
T3 (ordinary soil + sand 35.2 4.3
+ carbonized rice hull)

The table show the total average height of ipil where the highest total average height
is T0 (ordinary soil) with 43.2 followed by T1 (ordinary soil + sand) 38.2, T3 (ordinary soil +
sand + carbonized rice hull) 35.2 and the lowest is T2 (ordinary soil + carbonized rice hull)
with 30.5 of total average diameter. In terms diameter T0 (ordinary soil) is the highest, with
7.1 total average diameter, second and third are T2 (ordinary soil + carbonized rice hull) 5.3,
T3 (ordinary soil + carbonized rice hull) 4.3 and the least is T1 (ordinary soil + sand) with
3.2.

Morphological Characteristic
Figure 1: Showing the morphological characteristics of Ipil (Instia bijuga)
The figure shows the morphological characteristics of ipil. Whereas, Treatment 1 has
the biggest leaves, and the rest are the same in size. In terms of the total percentage of
survival rate computed the most higher percent living is treatment 4, treatment 1, treatment 3,
treatment 2 respectively.

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY
 The study was conducted to determine the response of different soil media to the early
growth of Ipil. Fot the purpose, an experiment was conducted at “Juvenile” nursery which is
just recently established near the Research Laboratory of the College in Forestry and
Environmental Management (CFEM) Bldg., Isabela State University Cabagan Campus,
Cabagan Isabela During the summer period May to June 2023.
The experiment followed the Complete Randomized design (CRD) with four
treatments. First, ordinary soil (control) was the control treatment (T0). Second, prepare an
ordinary soil + sand then put it in the seedlings as our first treatment (T1) while the ordinary
soil + carbonized rice hull as a second treatment (T2), then ordinary soil + sand + carbonized
rice hull as a third treatment (T3) with three (3) replications, ten (10) pots per treatment in
each replication.
Once the experiment was set up, once in a week observation on the state of the
seedlings was made. The researcher started gathering data after a week. Collecting data was
done within 60 days of observation.
After gathering all the data, I analyzed it. Then compute the total average of surviving
and not surviving seedlings in fertilizer.
Based on the study T0 (ordinary soil) has the highest total number of surviving
seedlings.
CONCLUSION
As a result of my research, the following conclusions were made:

In terms of surviving and not surviving seedlings, the T0 is the highest number of
Total average height of ipil and Total average diameter of ipil.
I therefore conclude that using ordinary soil is much better than using a sand and
carbonized rice hull.
In also in terms of morphological characteristic, the best fertilizer to use is also T0
(ordinary soil).
Recommendation
Based on the results of the study, the following are recommended:
Ordinary soil is also recommended to be used as soil media because it is proven
effective in terms of growth performance.
Further study should be conducted on the growth performance of Ipil at different
times of the year.