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Improving seed germination and seedling growth of true seed shallot

(TSS) using plant growth regulator seed priming
To cite this article: R Pangestuti et al 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 883 012024

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

Improving seed germination and seedling growth of true seed

shallot (TSS) using plant growth regulator seed priming

R Pangestuti 1,2, E Sulistyaningsih1,*, B Kurniasih 1 and R H Murti 1

1
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada Jln.
Flora no. 1, Bulaksumur, Sleman, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
2
Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology of Central Java Jln. Soekarno Hatta
KM 26, No 10, Bergas, Kabupaten Semarang 50552, Indonesia

* E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. Seeding is the most important and quite challenging stage in seed/TSS cultivation.
Plant growth regulator (PGR) seed priming has the potential to enhance the quality of TSS
seedlings. The research had been conducted in the greenhouse of Agriculture Faculty, UGM,
from February to April 2020. The factorial treatments of shallot cultivars (Tuk-Tuk, Lokananta
and Sanren) and seed treatments (soaking seed with GA3 100 ppm and NAA 50 ppm for 12 hours
and untreated seeds as control) were assigned in the RCBD with four replications. Each
experimental unit was consisted of 728 seeds per cultivar. Both treated and untreated seeds were
sown in soil blocks. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and continued with Tukey HSD
procedure at α=0.05. The results showed that PGR priming on seeds significantly increased the
germination percentage, plant height, leaf number, leaf area, and hypothetical vigor index of the
three cultivars at six weeks after sowing. However, there was no significant difference in the
fresh weight and dry weight of seedlings. This research implied that soaking seeds in GA3 100
ppm and NAA 50 ppm for 12 hours could improve seed germination and TSS seedling growth.
Additional fertilizers are perhaps needed in soil blocks to increase the effect of hormones on the
seedlings.

1. Introduction
Shallot (Allium cepa L.Aggregatum group) is categorized as the major condiment in Indonesia that
cannot be substituted. It is also a strategic-valued commodity of vegetables that may affect inflation
[1,2]. Efforts to increase shallot productivity and production continuity become important to avoid
inflation. The use of true seed shallot/TSS potentially enhances the productivity of shallots by >20 tons
ha-1 from the currently existing productivity (< 10 ton ha-1) by bulb propagation. TSS also has a long
shelf life (2 years), easy to store, handling and distribute so that it can become a seed reserve in each
growing season [3,4].
Seeding is the most crucial step in TSS cultivation, and it often comes with obstacles. Generally,
seeding needs between 30-45 days age before transplanting. The composition of planting media, seeding
technique, fertilization, and seed treatment will affect the bulb yield. Good quality of seeding growth
may increase the planting success rate in the field and enhance the plant’s productivity [5–7]. Adiyoga
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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

et al. [1] reported that TSS seeding in soil blocks produced the best yield compared to the direct seeding
or seeding in soil plots. The use of soil blocks also helps monitored seedling growth until the
transplanting stage since the seeds grew harmoniously in uniform seeding holes.
Seed priming is an effective and practical technique to improve seed growth speed and increase the
uniformity of seed growth and plant growth [8]. Plant growth regulator (PGR) seed priming may enhance
the plant seedling's germination and growth ability. PGR application in seed germination is considered
the prior process in plant growth [9]. Gibberellin is the key hormone that plays a significant role in seed
germination [9–11]. Gibberellin induces various genes related in producing amylase, including α-
amylase, protease, and β-glucanase. These enzymes act by breaking down food reserve compounds into
smaller compounds, such as converting starch into sucrose and produce energy for high cellular
respiration during germination [9,12].
Treatment by soaking the seeds in gibberellin (GA3) 100 ppm is described to improve growth speed,
growth percentage, and seed viability in various plants [11,13–15], including onion [16,17] and shallot
[18]. Gibberellin also plays a role in inducing cell division. Wen et al. [19] reported that cell division
activity supported successful seed germination processes.
The generally regulated genes influence plant growth activity by more than one growth hormone
[20]. Auxin indirectly induces signals that activate gibberellin accumulation in the process of
germination [21]. In the advanced process after germination, auxin plays a significant role in the growth
of young seedlings [22].
Sudaryono [22] reported that soaking TSS seeds of Trisula cultivars in auxin and gibberellin solution
of 200 ppm overnight resulted in better plant growth and yield than the soaking treatment of auxin with
cytokinin as well as the combination of auxin, gibberellin, and cytokines. The control plant was not used
to compare, and the effect of treatment towards TSS seedling growth before transplanting was not
reported. Therefore, this current research aimed to obtain the effect of soaking TSS Tuk Tuk, Lokananta,
and Sanren cultivars treated by gibberellin and auxin PGR on seed morphology, germination, and
seedling growth using soil block as a sowing before transplanting.

2. Methods
The research has been carried out in the Faculty of Agriculture experimental greenhouse, Universitas
Gadjah Mada, Banguntapan, Bantul, Yogyakarta from February to April 2020. This research used a two-
factors arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The first factor was TSS
of cultivar Tuk Tuk (expired date Mei 2020), Lokananta (expired date July 2020), and Sanren (expired
date Augustus 2020) (PT East-West, Indonesia). The second factor was seed priming before sowing by
soaking the seeds for 12 hours in gibberellic acid (GA3) (Merck, Germany) 100 ppm + Naphthalene
Acetic Acid/NAA (Serva, USA) 50 ppm solution and untreated seeds as a control. Each experimental
unit consisted of 728 seedlings. The total population used was 3 x 2 x 4 x 728 = 17,472 seedlings.
Environmental conditions were characterized by the average, maximum, minimum, and mean
temperature of 34.3; 27.9; 32.10C, respectively, and the photoperiod of 12 h, the light intensity of 31,119
lux, and relative humidity 75.8%.

2.1. Seed priming

Seed priming before sowing was carried out by soaking the three cultivars in the mixture solution of
GA3 solution 100 ppm and NAA 50 ppm PGR mixture for 12 hours. The ratio between seed weight and
PGR solution volume was 20 % (w/v). After priming, the seeds were strained and dried on tissue paper.
The seeds were then treated by a powdered fungicide with 80% mancozeb as an active ingredient (PT
Dow AgroSciences, Indonesia). The fungicide was applied to reduce the risk of damping off seedlings
[23].

2.2. Sowing
The seeds were deep in soil blocks with a size of 2 x 2 x 2.5 cm. The soil blocks were made from
cocopeat, compost, manure, guano, and dolomite mixtures in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1: 1 (v / v / v / v / v). The
soil blocks were arranged in wooden trays, as many as 364 soil blocks per tray, and hollowed out ± 0.8

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

cm as planting hole. The seeds inserted into the planting hole as much as two seeds per hole. The soil
block was then covered with a mixture of cocopeat, manure, and husk charcoal 1: 1: 1 (v/v/v) of ± 1 cm
thick. The seedlings were then sprinkled with water using a low-pressure sprayer with fine droplets.

2.3. Seedling Nursery

Watering was every 1-2 days to keep the soil block moist. Fungicide (mancozeb 80%) was applied at 10
and 28 days after sowing (DAS) as much as 2 g L- to prevent disease. Additional fertilization was applied
at 28 DAS using NPK 16:16:16 (Saprotan Utama, Indonesia) as much as 5 g L-1 per tray by leaking it
into the soil block. Weed were controlled manually by hand.

2.4. Seed Morphology

Before and after PGR soaking treatment, the condition of seeds was observed by measuring seed weight
and seed morphology (Digital microscope 3D, Kayence VHX-6000, USA). Tetrazolium staining with
1% tetrazolium solution was used in longitudinal sections of mature seeds with viable embryo
observation. The observation of seed germination was conducted upon the number of seeds with normal
germination on 4, 7, 10, and 14 of DAS. The criteria of normal germination used in the measurement
were a seedling with a 2 cm long radicle and 1 cm long cotyledon (cotyledon appeared on the soil block's
surface).

2.5. Seedling morphology

Seedling height and the number of leaves were measured in 2, 4, and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) of
the 80 seedling samples per experimental unit. Seedling height was measured from the soil block's
surface to the cotyledon's tip or the highest leaf. Seedling fresh weight and dry weight (dry weight was
measured after drying process in an oven at 80o C temperature for 72 hours), leaf width, root length
(Image Analysis Sistem WinDIAS 3, Delta-T-Devices Ltd, Cambridge UK), chlorophyll a, chlorophyll
b and total chlorophyll were measured at 6 WAS (seedling were ready to transplant). Every destructive
observation sample unit consists of three seedlings.

Chlorophyll was analyzed using the spectrophotometer method with 80% acetone solvent [24]. A total
of 1 g leaf sample was crushed and then mixed with 20 ml acetone 80%. It was then strained using a
paper filter. The solvent absorbed was measured using spectrophotometer Uv-Vis (Genesis 10S, China)
with a wavelength of 645 nm and 663 nm. Chlorophyll concentration of the leaf was calculated using
the formula below:
Chlorophyll a = 0.0127 x A663 – 0.00269 x A645 (1)
Chlorophyll b = 0.0229 x A645 – 0.00468 x A663 (2)
Total chlorophyll content = (1) + (2) (3)
Seedling quality was analyzed using germination percentage (GP) and hypothetical vigor index
(HVI) values. The germination percentage was calculated using the following formulas [11,25] :
GP (%) = G x 100% (4)
S
Where GP is a germination percentage
G is a number of normal germinated seeds
S is a number of total seeds

Hypothetical vigor index (HVI) describes seedling growth for all growth variables components,
including seedling height, leaf area, leaf number, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedlings. HVI was
calculated using the following equation [26,27] :

(5)

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

log 𝑁 + log 𝐴 + log 𝐻 + log 𝑅 + log 𝐺

𝐻𝑉𝐼 =
log 𝑇

where V is a hypothetical relative index of vigor;

A is leaf area per seedling (cm2);
N is leaf number per seedling;
H is the seedling height (cm);
R is the fresh seedling weight (g);
G is the dry seedling weight (g);
T is seedling age at the time the measurements were taken (weeks after germination).

2.6. Data analysis

The data collected were analyzed statistically using variance analysis performed in the Statistical
Analysis Software (SAS version 9.4). Tukey HSD test was used at a significance level of p<0.05 when
there were any significant differences in anova.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. The effect of plant growth regulator (PGR)seed priming on seed morphology and seed germination
PGR seed priming influenced the germination process in shallot seed. Figures 1.A to 1.D describes the
condition of true seed shallot before and after PGR seed priming. The normal mature seed anatomy
displayed more information about how the germination process occurs inside the seed.
Figure 1.A shows a shallot seed in the shape of ovate to triangular; one side convex, and the other
tends to be flat with a black and granular-textured seed coat that looks like small warts (verruca). Shallot
seed anatomy with normal germination was shown in Figure 1.B. The embryo of shallot seed was had a
curvy shape with a spiral tip. The embryo was consisted of the radicle (R), meristem tip (SA), that will
grow as the first/true leaf, procambium (P), that will grow as the primary vessel connective tissue, placed
extending from the radicle tip to the end length of the embryo, cotyledon (C), a seed food storing organ,
and at the end of the embryo was haustorium (H), used as the organ that absorbs food reserves from
endosperm during the germination process. Endosperm (E) was the main food reserved for the seed with
the main constituent of carbohydrates, a small quantity of protein, and fat. The structure of this shallot
seed anatomy was identical with what De Mason [28] described as onion seed structure as an
interpretation of a study written by Sachs (1863). Shallot coat (SC) was a black-colored and rough coat
with a wart-like wavy texture. Under the coat was a layer of ± 0,08 mm thick aleurone (AL). Aleurone
was the outermost layer of protein-rich endosperm as a synthesis place of enzymes for the germination
process. The layers' structure and characteristics were similar to leek, onions, tomatoes, and pepper [29].
Shallot seed priming with GA3 100 ppm + NAA 50 ppm solution for 12 hours promoted hydrolytic
enzyme secretion to weaken the seed coat /testa [30]. The weakened testa accelerated the imbibition
process and produced physical changes in the seed, such as swelling and cracking of the seed coat
(Figure 1.C). This water uptake caused the three shallot seed cultivars' weight after the soaking treatment
to increase (Table 1).

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

Figure 1. 1.A. Shallot seed/control; 1.B. Longitudinal section of mature seed with viable embryo
containing radicle (R), shoot apex (SA), procambium (P), long cotyledon (LC), haustorium (H),
endosperm (E), aleurone layer (AL), nucellus (N) and testa/seed coat (SC) (tetrazolium staining); 1.C.
Shallot seed after PGR seed priming resulting in a swelled seed with cracks on the seed coat (CR); 1.D.
Radicle protrusion (R) and the occurrence of germination. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Lens Z20X:100

Cracks on the seed coat may activate the gas circulation, especially oxygen, activate metabolism, and
synthesize endogenous gibberellin that was transferred into the aleurone layer. Exogenous gibberellin
may accelerate the imbibition process and increased the gibberellin's content to be transferred into the
aleurone layer [28]. After that, gibberellin will bind to the GID1 protein that interacts with protein
DELLA, thus becoming the transcription factors binder that triggers gene transcription. The protein
DELLA degradation will occur that caused the transcription factors were released so that gibberellin-
responsive genes can be expressed, producing protein and hydrolytic enzyme synthesis, especially α-
amylase, proteases, glucanases, and phosphatases. These enzymes may break down the food reserve
compounds into smaller compounds, such as turning starch into sucrose and produce substrate for
cellular respiration. That mechanism may stimulate faster radicle protrusion from the seed [29] (Figure
1.D). The process in Figure 1.D occurred during the seed germination process in the soil block. This led
to the faster germination showed by a higher seedling germination percentage of the three shallot
cultivars with PGR seed priming (Table 2).

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

Table 1. Characters of three TSS cultivars seeds after soaking with GA3 100 ppm and NAA 50 ppm.
Cultivars Number of seed Fresh weight per Fresh weight per Percentage of seed
per 1000 mg seed before seed after soaking weight increase by
soaking (mg) (mg) soaking treatment
(%)
Tuk Tuk 370.75±0.96 2.70±0.01 4.26± 0.06 57.78±2.27
Lokananta 285.25±1.26 3.51±0.02 5.48±0.06 56.28±1.12
Sanren 264.50±1.30 3.78±0.02 6.05±0.06 60.08±2.20

The three shallot cultivars had different percentages of seed weight gain after PGR seed priming, as
shown in Table 1. Sanren cultivar had the highest percentage of weight gain with 60.08%, followed by
Tuk Tuk cultivar with 57.78%, and Lokananta with 56.28%. The estimated weight gain for these three
seed cultivars was 0.6 times the seed weight. This weight-added value illustrated the ability of live seeds
to absorb water imbibition. Yudono [30] stated that the amount of water uptake in the living seeds was
influenced by the size of the seeds and their chemical composition, where the available range is 0.5 to 2
times the weight of the dry seeds. The larger the seed size, the more endosperm content was presented,
so that the ability to absorb water during imbibition was greater than the small seeds. Sanren cultivar
had the most massive seed weight with 3.78 mg, this may cause the largest increased weight added
compared to the other cultivars. However, other factors such as differences in seed composition between
cultivars or the embryos' size are also suspected in further research
There was no interaction between the TSS cultivars with PGR seed priming in the germination
percentage variable four days after sowing (DAS), 7 DAS, 10 DAS, and 14 DAS, as shown in Table 2.
PGR seed priming significantly contributed to the increased germination percentage compared to control
(untreated seedling). The seed germination percentage given consecutive treatment was 5.75%; 66.85%;
77.77% and 80.22 % at 4 DAS, 7 DAS, 10 DAS and 14 DAS and control seedling had lower germination
percentage of 0.03%, 56.78%, 69.51%, and 75.71% respectively. Based on TSS minimum technical
requirements, TSS seeds are said to be of good quality if they have a minimum germination percentage
of 70% [31], and this value was achieved all treatments at the end of germination observation (14 DAS).
However, TSS with PGR seed priming acquired 70% germination faster and produced the highest
germination percentage at the final observation. This result was in line with what was found in rice
germination [15], guava germination [11], onion germination [16,17] as well as TSS germination [18],
where the used of gibberellin 100 ppm may increase the seed germination better than control.

Table 2. Germination percentage (GP) of some TSS cultivars with PGR seed priming using GA3 100
ppm and NAA 50 ppm
Treatment GP 4 DAS GP 7 DAS GP 10 DAS GP 14 DAS
(%) (%) (%) (%)
Cultivars
Tuk Tuk 2.16 a 53.13 c 69.51 b 74.83 b
Lokananta 2.99 a 61.75 b 74.76 a 79.92 a
Sanren 3.50 a 70.57 a 76.65 a 80.22 a
Seed priming (GA3 100 ppm+NAA 50 ppm, 12 h)
Without 0.03 y 56.78 y 69.51 y 75.71 y
With 5.75 x 66.85 x 77.77 x 80.93 x
Interaction (-) (-) (-) (-)
CV (%) 2.45* 9.18 3.01 3.53
Note: Value with the same letters is not significantly different based on HSD Tukey, α=0.05; (-) no
interaction between the cultivars and seed priming HVI: hypothetical vigor index; *: transformation
data with √x+0.5.

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

NAA 50 ppm' addition as an exogenous auxin was related to auxin's function in preventing the
possibility of a defect in seedling shape or slow growth in seedling production. Furthermore, auxin plays
a role in creating lateral roots in the advanced germination stage and initial seedling growth [32], thus
increasing seedlings' germination [22]. The accumulation of auxin in cotyledons was the primary source
for auxin to proceed to seedling growth [9]. The synergy between auxin and gibberellin could be seen
in the advanced growth after the germination process. That was shown by the increased value of the
seedling growth variables described in Table 3.

3.2. The effect of plant growth regulatorl seed priming towards seedling growth
The interaction between TSS with PGR seed priming was not found in the plant height, root length,
number of leaves, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, and hypothetical vigor index after six WAS, as
shown in Table 3.
Sanren cultivar had the best seedling growth as seen from the variables of plant height, root length,
leaf area, and its hypothetical vigor index value, while the lowest growth rate was found in Tuk Tuk
cultivar. PGR seed priming significantly affected the increasing seedling plant height, leaf number, and
leaf area of the three TSS cultivars. However, there was no significant difference in root length, fresh
weight, and seedling dry weight. The analysis of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content in Table
4 revealed an interaction between cultivar/genetic factors and seed priming. In Tuk Tuk and Lokananta
cultivars, although the chlorophyll content of the seedlings treated with PGR priming was lower than
the control, the difference was not significant (P <0.05). In contrast, in the Sanren cultivar, there was a
significantly lower difference in the chlorophyll content. The tendency of lower chlorophyll content in
leaves treated with PGR priming was the cause of the similar value in fresh weight and dry weight of
control seedlings, even though they had higher plant height, leaf number, and leaf area than control
seedlings.

Table 3. Character of seedlings in three TSS cultivars with PGR seed priming using GA3 100 ppm
and NAA 50 ppm at transplanting stage (6 weeks after sowing)
Treatment Plant Root Number Leaf Fresh Dry HVI
Height length of area weight weight
(cm) (cm) leaves (cm2) (g) (g)
Cultivars
Tuk Tuk 22.51 b 20.07 ab 3.01 a 13.83 b 0.52 a 0.045 a 1.66 b
Lokananta 23.87 a 16.44 b 3.05 a 16.53 a 0.58 a 0.043 a 1.87 ab
Sanren 24.49 a 21.67 a 3.10 a 18.58 a 0.66 a 0.055 a 2.17 a
Seed Priming (GA3 100 ppm+NAA 50 ppm, 12 h)
Without 22.44 y 20.50 x 2.97 y 15.23 y 0.56 x 0.043 x 1.75 y
With 24.80 x 18.29 x 3.13 x 16.96 x 0.62 x 0.051 x 2.04 x
Interaction (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-)
CV (%) 5.37 16.05 2.98 11.01 5.87* 1.02* 17.10
Note: Value with the same letters is not significantly different based on HSD Tukey, α=0.05; (-) no
interaction between the cultivars and seed priming HVI: hypothetical vigor index; *: transformation
data with √x+0.5.

Gibberellin could increase seedling height and leaf width by increased cell division, extension, and
replication [15]. However, the leaves may become thinner because chlorophyll's formation on the leaves
as the main engine of photosynthesis was not following cell division's active process and stretching [33].

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

Table 4. Chlorophyll content of three TSS cultivars with PGR seed priming (GA3 100 ppm +NAA 50
ppm, 12 h) at transplanting stage (6 weeks after sowing)
Variable Seed Treatment Cultivar Average
Tuk Tuk Lokananta Sanren
Chlorophyll a Without/Control 0.481 a 0.422 ab 0.531 a 0.478
(mg. g-1) With 0.414 ab 0.319 bc 0.257 c 0.330
Average 0.447 0.370 0.394 (+)
CV = 14.92
Chlorophyll b Without/Control 0.162 xy 0.203 xy 0.259 x 0.208
-1
(mg. g ) With 0.174 xy 0.140 y 0.113 y 0.142
Average 0.168 0.171 0.186 (+)
CV = 3.22*
Total Without/Control 0.643 uv 0.624 uv 0.790 u 0.686
Chlorophyll With 0.587 uv 0.459 vw 0.370 w 0.472
-1
(mg. g ) Average 0.615 0.541 0.580 (+)
Note: Means in each variable with the same letters are not significantly different based on HSD Tukey,
α=0.05; (+) an interaction between cultivars and seed priming; *=: transformation data with √x+0.5.

The decreased chlorophyll content in seedlings with PGR seed priming (Table 4) caused no increased
in photosynthate in plants. Rogach et al. [33] stated that priming with GA3 50 ppm caused decreased in
cytokinin content by 24.5% in eggplant. Cytokinin plays a role in the synthesis of chlorophyll in plants
[32–35]. Decreased cytokines caused a decrease in chlorophyll synthesis in the leaves. The amount of
decrease depends on the cultivar/genetic factor. The chlorophyll content increased can be made using
two types of treatment, i.e., cytokinin's addition by spraying seedlings during the nursery or adding
fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer. The nitrogen fertilizer addition was strongly recommended since
cytokinin may lead to gibberellin function decrease [36,37]. The nitrogen application was reported to
have increased photosynthetic pigment content, synthetic enzyme, and chloroplast membrane system
[38].
Although there was no significant difference in seedlings' root length, fresh weight, and dry weight,
the hypothetical vigor index of the seedlings treated with PGR priming was higher (2.04) and
significantly different from the control plant (1.75), as shown in Table 3. Hypothetical vigor index
describes seedling quality as the accumulation of all plant growth components, i.e., plant height, root
length, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh seedling weight, and dry weight. Vigor is defined as a seed or
seedling's ability to grow normally and quickly in suboptimal environmental conditions [25]. Vigor
relates to seed production ability, where the seedlings with high vigor content will produce high
production as well [27,38]. Bettoni et al. [5] stated that onion seedlings with high vigor determined plant
growth and bulbs' yield quality. The higher hypothetical index vigor value resulted from seed soaking
treatment in GA3 100 ppm and NAA 50 ppm for 12 hours in this study was expected to improve
seedlings' viability during the field's transplanting stage and yield of shallot bulbs.

4. Conclusion
Seed priming using a mixture of plant growth regulators GA3 100 ppm and NA 50 ppm could increase
seed germination by value of 10.07 and hypothetical vigor index seedling by 2.04. The Sanren cultivars
showed the best percentage of germination and seed growth, followed by Lokananta and Tuk Tuk
cultivars.

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International Seminar on Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food Security and Health IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 883 (2021) 012024 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/883/1/012024

5. Acknowledgment
The authors are very grateful for the support and fund grant of the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural
Research and Development (IARRD) scholarship.

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