Viability Test of Gamma-irradiated seeds of Jabon Merah (Neolamarckia macrophylla (Wall.) Bosser) from Luwu Provenance : Preliminary study

Abstract

Fast-growing Jabon Merah has been well known as the raw material of plywood and pharmaceuticals. Induction of Gamma-irradiation on Jabon Merah' seeds is expected to increase the productivity of this species to support the availability of superior timber. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Gamma-irradiation on seeds viability of Jabon Merah from Luwu provenance. Eight doses of Gamma used for irradiating the seeds were 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 Gy. The irradiated seeds were then evaluated their germination rate using Top of Paper Test for each irradiation dose. Here, we applied a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). 15 Gy presented the highest seed germination rate on the first and the second replications, 96 buds out of 0.2-gram seeds and 117 buds of 0.2-gram seeds, respectively. Overall, 15 Gy increased number of bud up to about 62 - 66% when compared to control which was only able to germinate as many as 59 buds of 0.2-gram seeds on first replication, and 60 of 0.2-gram seeds on the second replication. The results showed that Gamma-irradiation did not significantly affect the viability of the seeds.