Pengaruh Konsentrasi Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS) terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Variasi Morfologi Aglaonema Siam Aurora

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of different concentrations of Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS) on the growth and morphological variation of Aglaonema Siam Aurora. EMS is a chemical mutagen capable of inducing genetic changes through alkylation, making it widely used in plant breeding to generate new variability. The experiment was conducted using a Randomized Block Design with four EMS concentrations: 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75%, each applied through a 5-hour soaking treatment. Observed variables included plant height, leaf number, leaf area, leaf color, and leaf tip shape. The results indicated that increasing EMS concentration had a clear negative impact on vegetative growth. The control plants exhibited the greatest height and leaf area, while the 0.5% and 0.75% treatments resulted in growth reduction due to higher mutagen toxicity. Additionally, EMS successfully induced morphological variations, demonstrated by changes in leaf color intensity from dark green to pale green and alterations in leaf tip shape from moderately acute to strongly acute and obtuse at higher concentrations. These findings confirm that EMS is effective in generating genetic variation in Aglaonema Siam Aurora; however, its application requires appropriate dosage management to avoid excessive phytotoxic effects.