Developing new varieties using irradiation technology to change Indonesia's dependence on imported soybeans

introduction



Indonesia, as an important country in Southeast Asia, holds a crucial position in its agricultural industry in the national economy. However, Indonesia has long faced the dilemma of supply-demand imbalance in the key crop of soybeans. Every year, Indonesia needs to consume over 2 million tons of soybeans, but domestic production can only meet the demand of about 800000 tons, and the rest heavily relies on imports. This not only increases the economic burden on the country, but also affects the autonomy and stability of the agricultural industry. In order to change this situation, the Indonesian government and research institutions are actively seeking solutions, among which the use of irradiation technology to develop new varieties of soybeans has become an important initiative.

Application of irradiation technology in breeding

Radiation technology, especially X-rays and gamma rays, as effective mutagens, has been widely used in crop breeding. These rays can trigger random mutations in DNA in seeds, resulting in genotypes with new characteristics. By screening these mutants, breeders can cultivate new varieties with higher yields, stronger resistance to pests and diseases, and wider adaptability. This technology not only shortens the breeding cycle, but also improves breeding efficiency, providing strong support for the sustainable development of the agricultural industry.

The History and Current Situation of Radiation Breeding

The history of irradiation breeding can be traced back to the 1930s, when scientists first used X-rays to irradiate tobacco and successfully cultivated mutant varieties. Subsequently, irradiation technology gradually gained widespread application in crop breeding. International organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have played important roles in promoting radiation breeding. At present, over 3360 officially registered mutant varieties have been registered in the IAEA's mutant variety database, of which about 50% and 17% were directly or indirectly cultivated using gamma and X-ray irradiation, respectively.

Radiation breeding practices in Indonesia

The Isotope and Radiation Application Center (BATAN) of the Indonesian National Nuclear Energy Agency has achieved significant achievements in the field of irradiation breeding. Since 1997, BATAN has received support from the IAEA through its technical cooperation program to cultivate new plant varieties. In the past thirty years, BATAN has developed 12 soybean varieties through plant mutation breeding, which have ideal characteristics such as high yield, improved tolerance to soil acidity, larger seed size, high protein content, and early maturity.


Successful case of Mutiara 1 soybean variety

Mutiara 1 is a soybean variety developed by BATAN and has been widely welcomed by farmers since its release in 2010. This variety has a significantly larger seed size and higher productivity compared to local varieties. In the Polewali Mandar region along the western coast of Indonesia, Muhammad Yunus supervised farmers to plant 500 acres of Mutiara 1 crop, achieving good economic benefits.

Variety characteristics and advantages

The success of Mutiara 1 soybean variety is not only due to its high yield, but also to its good adaptability to soil acidity and improved taste. However, due to the short shelf life of soybean seeds, even locally grown enough seeds remain a challenge. To address this issue, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Food and Agriculture Organization are collaborating with Bataan to establish two refrigeration facilities in Jakarta to store multiple seeds of new and improved soybean varieties, ensuring that farmers can obtain more seeds throughout the year.

Breakthroughs in Kemuning 1 and Kemuning 2

In addition to Mutiara 1, BATAN has also developed two new varieties, Kemuning 1 and Kemuning 2. These two varieties perform well in dry acidic soil, and local soybean varieties and other crops often find it difficult to grow in such soil. Kemuning 1 and Kemuning 2 can produce up to 3 tons per hectare, while local varieties only produce 2.2 tons per hectare. These new varieties not only help increase soybean yield, but also optimize land use, allowing land that may have been underutilized or even considered completely unusable to be reused.

Advantages of Short Term Growth Cycle

The upcoming release of another soybean variety will have a shorter growth time, which means farmers can adapt this variety to existing crop rotations after planting another seasonal crop, such as rice. Shorter growth time not only increases the number of harvests and farmers' income, but also reduces the possibility of crop losses caused by adverse weather, pests, lack of soil moisture, or diseases in the later stages of the season.


The technical path of irradiation breeding

The technical path of irradiation breeding mainly includes the following steps:

Seed irradiation: Exposure of plant seeds or cuttings to radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays to induce random mutations in DNA.


Mutant screening: Screening of irradiated plants to identify mutants with desired traits. These traits may include high yield, strong resistance to pests and diseases, and wide adaptability.

Multi generation cultivation: Cultivate the selected mutants for multiple generations to stabilize their genetic characteristics. During this process, field performance was tested under different environmental conditions.
Variety release and promotion: After the performance of the new variety is verified, it will be released as a variety planted by farmers and widely promoted.
Comprehensive measures to reduce dependence on soybean imports
In addition to utilizing irradiation technology to develop new varieties, the Indonesian government has also taken various measures to reduce soybean production