Determination of growth and production responses of shallot (Allium cepa L.) due to corona plasma irradiation

Research on the effect of plasma radiation on the growth and production of shallot plants has been done. This study aims to observe the effect of plasma irradiation duration and determine the optimal irradiation duration for the growth and production of shallot. The study is conducted by using a corona plasma reactor with a multiple point to plane configuration, with the distance between electrodes is 3 cm and the applied voltage is 14 KV. Variations of irradiation time applied were 0, 15, and 30 minutes. The research results shows that plasma radiation can increase the growth and production of shallots. The percentage of plant height increasing is 9.53% at 15 minutes irradiation compared to non-irradiated samples. The leaf color level of irradiated plants is more green than those in the control sample, it is due to the content of chlorophyll in the leaves increases up to 26.73%. In addition, the wet and dry weight of the irradiated onion tubers also increased up to 17.44% and 22.19%, respectively. Furthermore, the optimal irradiation time obtained to increase the shallots growth and production is 15 minutes