Developing determination of gamma irradiation dose to increase sugarcane growth and yield

Abstract

Application of low radiation doses to seeds and plants can produce biostimulants so that they can increase plant growth and production. The study aimed to obtain the optimum radiation dose to obtain high sucrose content. The research was conducted at the Karangploso Research Station, Malang from October 2021 – October 2022. The research material was obtained from the first ratoon cane Bululawang variety whose seeds were irradiated in 2019. The treatments consisted of 4 radiation doses (30, 40, 50, and 60 Gy) and 1 treatment without radiation (control treatment) arranged in a randomized block design with 6 replications. The result of the study shows that plant growth (stem length and diameter, cane weight, cane per clump number) and yield component (sucrose content, sugar yield) are affected by radiation dose. The radiation dose required for the Bululawang variety to produce the highest sugar yield or increase of 0.3% without radiation is 4.7 Gy. The radiation dose required to obtain the highest sucrose content or increase of 0.45% without radiation is 5.7 Gy.