PENGARUH KONSENTRASI ZAT GIBERELIN (GA3) TERHADAP PERKECAMBAHAN BENIH TANJUNG (Mimusops elengi L.)

Abstract

Bullet wood (Mimusops elengi L.) is an ecologically and economically important tree species, yet its generative propagation is often hindered by physical seed dormancy caused by a hard seed coat, resulting in slow germination. This study was conducted to determine the effect of various gibberellin (GA3) concentrations on the germination of bullet wood seeds and to identify the most effective concentration for breaking dormancy. The research was carried out at the Fatukoa Permanent Nursery, Kupang City, using a one-factor Completely Randomized Design consisting of five GA3 concentration levels: control/distilled water (T0), 0.65 g/L (T1), 0.75 g/L (T2), 0.85 g/L (T3), and 0.95 g/L (T4), each replicated three times. The variables observed were germination percentage, germination rate, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedlings, analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's test at the 5% level. The results showed that GA3 concentration had no significant effect on germination percentage, but had a highly significant effect on germination rate, fresh weight, and dry weight of bullet wood seedlings. Treatment T4 (0.95 g/L) consistently produced the best results across nearly all variables, with the fastest germination rate and the highest fresh weight (5.31 g) and dry weight (0.22 g). Gibberellin acts by activating amylase and protease enzymes that mobilize food reserves for embryo development. It is concluded that soaking bullet wood seeds in a 0.95 g/L GA3 solution is the most effective treatment for supporting the success of generative bullet wood nursery propagation.