Gamma Irradiation Optimum Dose Range to Induce Genetic Diversity of Sorghum Numbu Variety

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), is an appropriate crop for dry land agricultural systems in Indonesia. Sorghum has become known and widely cultivated in Indonesia, especially after the President of the Republic of Indonesia in 2022 wanted sorghum to become an alternative food commodity. The main problem in sorghum cultivation is the limited varieties of sorghum in Indonesia. The genetic diversity of the sorghum crop is increased in order to provide more cultivable sorghum genotypes. Increasing genetic diversity can be done by radiation mutations, and the success factor of gamma irradiation mutations is largely determined by the sensitivity of plant genotypes (radiosensitivity). Numbu is one of the sorghum varieties that is in great demand by farmers because it can be used as a feed ingredient, an alternative food, as well as in industry. Numbu also has many deficiencies that make it suitable for the improvement of genetic variation. Numbu sorghum seeds were irradiated with gamma rays at a dose of 0 to 1000 gray in increments of 100 Gy. Observation of plant height was carried out on M1 plants at 3 WAP. The optimum dosage range was calculated using the Curve-Fit Analysis software. The optimum dose range obtained for Numbu genotype sorghum was 400–600 Gy.

Keywords: cultivation, mutation, radiosensitifity