Characterization of Morphological Changes in Shallots (Allium cepa var. Aggregatum) in Response to Gamma-ray Irradiation Treatment

Shallots are a crucial agricultural commodity in Indonesia, with increasing demand for improved productivity and quality. Genetic diversity in shallot plants plays an important role in developing new varieties with enhanced characteristics. A recent study focused on assessing the growth and yield of shallots in response to mutagen treatment using gamma-ray irradiation. The plant material was true shallot seeds (TSS) treated with gamma-ray irradiation at varying doses (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and 175 Gy) using a 220 gamma cell machine powered by a Cobalt-60 energy source. The research was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with a single factor, namely gamma-ray irradiation treatment. Each treatment involved 100 plants and was replicated three times. The findings revealed that gamma-ray irradiation treatment prolonged the germination period compared to the non-irradiated treatment. However, increasing the irradiation dose to 175 Gy resulted in reduced sprout percentage to as low as 3%. Of the observed variables, the 125 Gy treatment (D5) exhibited the best results in plant height (59.5 cm) and harvest dry weight (40.4 g/plant), while the 75 Gy treatment (D3) showed the best results in bulb number (approximately 4.1 bulbs/plant).