Nunung Harijati

The effects of scarification on seed germination of porang (Amorphophallus muelleri)

Porang is a member of the genus Amorphophallus that has high economic value because of its glucomannan content. Glucomannan is a fiber carbohydrate that is beneficial for health, for example, it can be used to control obesity. Currently, the cultivation area of porang is increasing. However, the availability of seeds is not sufficient for land expansion. Planting materials that may be supplied in large quantities are seeds rather than bulbil or bulbs. Disadvantages of seeds are less uniformity and the long time for its germination. Therefore, it is necessary to have germination by scarification and non-scarification treatments simultaneously. Scarification includes physical (sandpaper or nail clippers) and chemicals (1% H2SO4) scarifications. Non-scarification treatments include a soak in 1% KNO3, 0.1% GA3 or 1% Ethrel and exposure to light (7 × 24 hours) or dark (7 × 24 hours). The experiment was designed using Randomized Controlled Designs (RCD), with three replicates per experiment. Each replicate consisted of 25 seeds. The parameters included percent germination, hypocotyl length, and number of rooted sprout. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and LSD (0.05). The results showed that physical scarification (nail clippers) resulted in 100% germination, highest hypocotyl length, and highest rooted root. Dark and light treatment gave almost equal results in a percentage of germination, hypocotyl length and number of rooted sprout. Under the treatment of GA3 and Ethrel, Ethrel gave all the highest observed parameters.Porang is a member of the genus Amorphophallus that has high economic value because of its glucomannan content. Glucomannan is a fiber carbohydrate that is beneficial for health, for example, it can be used to control obesity. Currently, the cultivation area of porang is increasing. However, the availability of seeds is not sufficient for land expansion. Planting materials that may be supplied in large quantities are seeds rather than bulbil or bulbs. Disadvantages of seeds are less uniformity and the long time for its germination. Therefore, it is necessary to have germination by scarification and non-scarification treatments simultaneously. Scarification includes physical (sandpaper or nail clippers) and chemicals (1% H2SO4) scarifications. Non-scarification treatments include a soak in 1% KNO3, 0.1% GA3 or 1% Ethrel and exposure to light (7 × 24 hours) or dark (7 × 24 hours). The experiment was designed using Randomized Controlled Designs (RCD), with three replicates per experiment. Each replicate cons...

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Calcium Oxalate Calibration Density of Porang Bulb (Amorphophallus muelleri Blume)

The aim of this research was to know the effects of nitrogen fertilizer to the shape and density of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals in porang tuber. Bulbil derived from porang plant in the first growth period seeded until the leaves fully open. Seedlings were transferred to a polybag after most of them has height 50 cm. After adapting for three weeks, the plants were treated with nitrogen fertilizer (urea) with a dose 0, 1, and 5 g/polybag. The plants were grown until the end of the growing period. The slides were prepared by slicing tuber as thin as possible using a sliding microtome. Sliced tuber of porang were cleared by using the modified clearing method. The slides were observed using light microscope to calculate the density of CaOx crystals. The densities of calcium oxalate crystals were analyzed using ANOVA (α = 0,05). The results showed that porang tuber has four kind of crystals i.e. raphide, druse, stiloid, and prism. Nitrogen fertilization had no significant effect on the densities of calcium oxalate crystals.

Calcium Oxalate Crystals (CaOx) on Porang (Amorphopallus muelleri Blume) Exposed and Unexposed Sun

Sunlight was suspected to affect CaOx crystal formation in porang . This research had aim to determine variations in forms of CaOx crystals and the influence of shade on the density of CaOx crystals in porang. Preparations for microscopic observation derived from sliced leaf, petiole, and tuber of porang that grown under shaded and exposed to sunlight conditions. Sliced organ was cleared by using the modified clearing method. The parameters that observed included shape, shape variety, and density of CaOx crystals. CaOx crystal density were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey (α 0.05). The differences of crystal density between the edges and middle of the organ were analyzed using Paired Samples T Test. Microscopic observation showed that CaOx crystals were grouped into large (20-710 m) and small (1-15 m) crystals size. The density of CaOx crystals in plants exposed to sunlight was 3 times higher than the shaded plants. Leaf organ had the highest number of crystal compared to others organ. The tuber had the lowest density of CaOx crystals among organ. In addition, the shaded or exposed to sunlight condition had no effect on CaOx crystal density between the edges and center of the organ.