VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystems in cooperation with the Bogor Forest Research and Development Center at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry conducted research on morel mushroom in Mount Rinjani National Park, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara -NTB. Researcher of the Bogor Forest Research and Development Center at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Dr. Maman Turjaman in Mataram said that the research is aimed to obtain the cultivation technique of Rinjani morel mushroom both by site and ex-site programs.

Maman Turjaman said that his side will also conduct a cultivation test inside the Mount Rinjani National Park area with certain locations eligible for mushrooms to grow. There are 1,000 planting media that have been prepared. He said that the morel mushroom that will be tested for cultivation is morel Rinjani (morchella crassipes). The designation of the mushroom name is based on research at National Center For Biotechnology (NCBI). The mushroom was found by the cultivation team of Mount Rinjani National Park -BTNGR when they were conducting routine monitoring within the area in 2009. The findings were later reported to the Bogor Research and Development Center - P3H, for further investigation. He said that morel is the second most expensive mushroom in the world, after the truffles mushroom. Therefore, the researchers are motivated to do research, beginning in 2017.  Researcher, Asep Hidayat added that the morel mushrooms have been cultivated widely in Europe since a hundred years ago. But the researchers in the country have firstly conducted research, before disseminating the cultivation technology to the wider community.

Besides in Europe, the mushroom researchers in China have also conducted research on the plant that can only grow in the tropical area since 1980. Then in 1992, they found the formula for cultivation. However, the cultivation for commercial interest began to be done in 2012. Maman Turjaman said, for Morel Rinjani, the Bogor Research and Development Center started exploration until laboratory test in 2017, just in 10 months. Now,the center will try the cultivation technology. If the result is good, it will be cultivated massively.

Meanwhile, Head of Sub-Division of Cultivation of Mount Rinjani National Park, Dwi Pangestu hoped that the experimental cultivation of "morel" Rinjani mushroom in conservation area could produce positive result. Therefore, the plant can be one of the non-timber forest products that can be utilized and cultivated to improve the welfare of the community around the area of Mount Rinjani. Besides morel mushroom, the area also produces ferns, grass, medicinal plants, honey, and rattan.

That was My Indonesia.