ANALISIS STRUKTUR VEGETASI AGROFORESTRI KARET DI DESA MANDIANGIN TIMUR KAWASAN PENYANGGA KHDTK UNIVERSITAS LAMBUNG MANGKURAT

Rubber agroforestry is a land-use system that combines rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) with various intercrop species of economic value. This study analyzed the vegetation structure of rubber agroforestry systems in Desa Mandiangin Timur, the buffer zone of KHDTK Lambung Mangkurat University. Sample points were determined using the purposive sampling method, based on community-managed rubber agroforestry land combining forestry and agricultural crops, while vegetation data were collected using the strip-plot method at two sites, each with two transects of four 20 m × 20 m plots, totaling sixteen sample plots. Each plot was divided into sub-plots using the nested sampling method, representing seedling, sapling, pole and tree stages based on height and diameter. Data were analyzed using relative density, relative frequency, and relative dominance to calculate the Importance Value Index (IVI), as well as the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (Hʹ). The results showed that a total of 12 plant species from 10 families, comprising 366 individuals, were found across both observation sites. Rubber dominated the seedling and tree stages, with the highest tree-stage IVI of 268.56% at site 1 and 271.48% at site 2, while different intercrop species dominated the sapling and pole stages at each site. The Hʹ value was categorized as moderate from the seedling to pole stages, but decreased to low at the tree stage due to the very high dominance of rubber. These results indicate that rubber is the main commodity in this agroforestry system, with intercrop species continuing to play a role in the vegetation structure.