Space Seed Holdings Visits Universitas Gadjah Mada's Sawit Sari Research Station to Learn About Longan Propagation
On August 14, 2026, Space Seed Holdings Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Kengo Suzuki; “SSHD”) visited the Sawit Sari Research Station (Stasiun Penelitian Sawit Sari) of the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (“UGM”), in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Hirohide Nakamura, Chairman of AAI Co., Ltd. (Asia Africa Research, Consulting & Investment; Headquarters: Kurume, Fukuoka), joined the visit.
About the Sawit Sari Research Station
The station is a research farm operated by the UGM Faculty of Biology in Dusun Gejayan, Condong Catur, Depok, Sleman. It conducts research on longan cultivation and propagation, including grafting, air layering, pruning and pest and disease control, and runs technical training for growers. It also breeds mango, durian and other fruit trees, and carries out conservation research on horticultural crops and orchids.
Background
Since August 2025, SSHD has been discussing a regional development model for Yogyakarta built around “New Crystal,” an improved Indonesian longan variety (locally called kelengkeng). The discussions involve Professor Budi S. Daryono and Professor Eko Agus Suyono of the UGM Faculty of Biology and Ahmad Janan, chairman of APKM (Asosiasi Petani Kelengkeng Mandiri). The parties are also exploring genome analysis and gene-expression profiling at UGM’s Integrated Genome Factory (IGF), established in 2024.
The aim of this visit was to see how this research is applied at the faculty’s experimental farm, in plant propagation, cultivation and harvesting. Yusuf Sulaiman, S.I.P., who is in charge of longan cultivation and propagation at the station and teaches its training courses for growers, guided the visit.
Grafting and planting-material quality
The visit began with an explanation of how the station propagates longan, and how the choice of propagation method affects the quality of young plants.
Fruit trees grown from seed may not retain the parent tree’s fruit characteristics and can take many years to bear fruit. Grafting, in which a scion from a high-performing tree is joined to a rootstock, and air layering produce plants that keep the mother tree’s characteristics and start bearing earlier. The choice of mother tree, the compatibility of scion and rootstock, and care after grafting all affect the tree’s vigor, yield and fruit quality for years afterward.
The visit highlighted the importance of propagation methods for consistent fruit quality in a growing region, before field cultivation even begins.
Fruit crops beyond longan
The visitors also tasted melons and other fruit grown at the station. Seeing the growing conditions and the quality of the harvested fruit suggested that the area could also produce other high-value fruit crops.
Testing varieties and cultivation methods at the station, then sharing the results with growers, is one way to build an industry that stays in the region rather than relying on one-off export products.
Measuring fruit quality: sugars, acidity and aroma
SSHD sees potential in using measurements of sugar content, acidity and aroma compounds alongside sensory evaluation to compare fruit quality. These data could help UGM and growers assess cultivation methods and post-harvest handling, and identify characteristics that distinguish local varieties. Research on potentially beneficial compounds in the fruit could provide a further area of study.
Exploring fruit fermentation
The visitors also discussed fruit fermentation. Fermentation could extend shelf life and create new uses for fruit that is difficult to transport or store fresh, and it changes aroma compounds and other components, producing products that differ from the raw fruit.
The discussion covered three stages at which fruit quality can be improved:
– Mother-tree selection: which tree, and which propagation method, is used to produce young plants
– Cultivation through harvest: crop management and timing of the harvest
– Post-harvest: sorting, storage, processing and fermentation
Next steps
SSHD will explore opportunities for joint work with the UGM Faculty of Biology, AAI and other partners, covering plant propagation, cultivation, post-harvest handling and fruit-quality assessment. The partners will consider how this work could contribute to an ASEAN–Japan food and agriculture initiative.
Comment
Kengo Suzuki, Representative Director and CEO, Space Seed Holdings Inc.
“What stood out to me was how decisions made during propagation can affect fruit quality years later. We would like to work with UGM to connect that knowledge with measurements of sugar content and aroma, and explore how fermentation could broaden the uses of local fruit. The aim is to identify approaches that growers and processors in Yogyakarta can put into practice.”
About AAI Co., Ltd.
AAI Co., Ltd. (Asia Africa Research, Consulting & Investment; Headquarters: 356-1 Tori-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka; Chairman: Hirohide Nakamura) conducts research, consulting and investment in Asia and Africa, including Indonesia. Space Seed Holdings took an equity stake in the AAI group in January 2025.
About Space Seed Holdings Inc.
Space Seed Holdings is a space deep-tech venture builder whose mission is “Turning science fiction into nonfiction.” Its activities span investment, research and venture creation, and include the Fermentation and Longevity Fund program, which supports the practical use of fermentation and longevity technologies. Its long-term goal is to help develop the technologies needed for humans to live in space by 2040, working with partners across different fields.
