Morphological characterisation of Soya salak (Salacca zalacca var Amboinensis) in Soya Village, Sirimau District, Ambon City, Maluku

Soya salak ( Salacca zalacca var Amboinensis) is one of the salak cultivars in Maluku, especially in Soya Village, Ambon. Soya salak is similar to Balinese salak, which people in Maluku favour because it has a sweet and fresh taste. Although it has potential, the exploration and characterisation of Soya salak are still minimal. In situ exploration and description are needed to provide the initial information required for the future development of Soya salak. The study aimed to characterise the morphology of the Soya salak plant. The research was conducted in a farmer’s salak garden in Soya Village, Ambon, Maluku. The study used a survey method, and the sampling was carried out purposively. The pieces measured consisted of 30 samples of salak plants that were >5 years old. The results showed three accessions of Soya salak, namely accessions of S1, S3, and S4. Accessions S1 and S3 have more similarities than accessions S4. The only difference lies in the colour of the skin of the ripe fruit and the taste. Soya salak accession S1 has a sweeter taste than accessions S3 and S4, so farmers in Soya Village mainly cultivate it.