The price of Indonesian vanilla is generally low due to the low quality of beans, partly a result of early harvesting and suboptimal processing conditions as well as the weak bargaining position of farmers. In the international market, the price of vanilla from Indonesia is in the range of US$15–$48/kg, relatively far below that of Madagascan vanilla, which ranged from US$55–$76/kg.
The annual total production and value of vanilla in Indonesia fluctuate signifi-cantly. In 2000, the production was recorded as 350 tons valued at US$8.5 M, 663 tons in 2003 at US$18.4 M (highest in record), and 499 tons in 2006 at US$5.9 M (Ditjenbun, 2006). In 2006, the main importing countries were the United States, accounting for 67% of total export, Germany (20%), and Malaysia (5%). The quality of vanilla exported from Indonesia is relatively low: 27% of grade I, 45% of grade II, and 28% of grade III (Rosman, 2005).
Results of Research
There are three important factors that should be addressed in overcoming the constraints in vanilla production: environmental conditions (climate and soil), genetic source (varieties or types of vanilla), and stem rot disease. Research activities are focused on these factors and a summary of the outcomes are as follows.
Climatic and Soil Conditions
Suitable climate is one of the most important conditions for vanilla cultivation. The optimal annual rainfall for vanilla is in the range of 1000–2000 mm/year, and distributed in 8–9 months of wet season, followed by a dry period (rainfall lower than 90 mm/month) of 3–4 months. A distinct dry period, simultaneously with other factors such as looping the stem and removal of the stem apex during the dry period, is required to induce flowering. The formation of flowers is, to a certain extent, affected by stress levels experienced by the vanilla plant (Zaubin, 1994). A rainy season of 150–180 days/year, with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 39°C and relative humidity between 65% and 75%, is preferred.
Vanilla requires only 30–50% of full sunlight (Deinum, 1949). Although vanilla grows and develops well in areas between 0 and 1200 m asl, for practical commercial purposes, vanilla cultivation is recommended at altitudes up to 600 m asl. Vanilla can be grown on a variety of soils, such as andosol, latosol, regosol, as long as the physical properties are good. Soils with a deep solum and rich in organic matter are ideal for vanilla. The soil acidity (pH) should range from 5.5 to 7.0. Although the ideal situation may not always be available, these conditions are used as guidelines for vanilla production and are a useful indication of the amount of cultural input required, given a particular set of existing conditions.
Genetic Source
Recently, the Research Institute for Spices and Medicinal Crops (RISMC) has collected 32 types of vanilla from all over Indonesia. They differ in size and color of leaves and flowers and in the form of leaves, number of stomata, leaf area index, and tolerance to stem rot. Among them only four types seem to have promising prospects (Asnawi and Nuryani, 1995). The four prospective clones have been identified with favorable characteristics, including a relatively high production potential, high vanillin content and relative tolerance to water stress and stem rot (Hadipoentyanti et al., 2007). The characteristics of these clones are shown in Table 19.2. These superior types or varieties of vanilla have not been released until now.
| Characteristics | Clone 1 | Clone 2 | Clone 3 | Clone 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Selected from population | Cilawu–West Java | Gisting–Lampung | Malang–East Java | Ungaran–Central Java |
| 2. Leaf: | ||||
| • Length (cm) | 20.54 ± 1.48 | 19.12 ± 1.56 | 18.15 ± 2.35 | 21.38 ± 1.69 |
| • Width (cm) | 6.42 ± 0.43 | 7.03 ± 0.51 | 6.75 ± 1.24 | 7.00 ± 0.32 |
| • Thickness (cm) | 2.32 ± 0.31 | 2.13 ± 0.16 | 2.18 ± 0.25 | 1.98 ± 0.26 |
| • Color | Green | Green | Green | Green |
| 3. Stem | No branches | No branches | No branches | No branches |
| 4. Stem diameter | 1.20 ± 0.24 | 1.17 ± 0.26 | 1.15 ± 0.38 | 1.25 ± 0.36 |
| 5. Internode length (cm) | 12.69 ± 1.13 | 12.71 ± 1.12 | 15.38 | 14.78 ± 1.16 |
| 6. Flower bunch | No branches | No branches | No branches | 2–4 branches |
| 7. Beans: | ||||
| • Length (cm) | 19.03 ± 1.87 | 19.17 ± 1.08 | 18.51 ± 1.46 | 19.05 ± 1.38 |
| • Color | Green | Green | Green | Green |
| 8. Number of bunches per plant | 5.75 ± 2.75 | 5.35 ± 2.53 | 6.50 ± 2.15 | 7.11 ± 2.32 |
| 9. Number of fl owers per bunch | 20.15 ± 1.76 | 19.75 ± 2.76 | 21.35 ± 1.51 | 22.25 ± 1.46 |
| 10. Production of beans (kg/ha) | ||||
| • Fresh | 9.768 | 9.768 | 10.392 | 10.523 |
| • Dry | 2.035 | 1.918 | 2.165 | 2.239 |
| 11. Vanillin content | 2.80–3.25 | 2.26–3.16 | 2.25–3.05 | 2.35–2.86 |
| 12. Others | Relatively tolerant against water stress | Relatively tolerant against stem rot | — | — |