Effect of harvest age and storage duration on viability and vigor of shallot (Allium cepa L.) tubers

Shallot is one of the tuber crops used in human life worldwide. Lembah Palu variety of shallot (LPVS) is the best raw material for the fried shallot industry. The main problem is that tubers have no standard harvest age and storage duration to support these plants' germination and early growth. Therefore, shallots' growth and productivity are influenced by tubers' viability and vigor. This study aimed to investigate the harvest age and storage duration to give the best viability and vigor of shallot tubers. This research was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) factorial and three replications. The first factor was the harvest age of shallots, which consisted of four levels: 60, 65, 70, and 75 days after planting (DAP). The second factor was the storage duration of tubers, which consisted of four levels: 30, 40, 50, and 60 days after harvest (DAH). The harvesting age of 60-65 DAP significantly affected the parameter of germination power, tuber weight loss, and seedling dry weight. Likewise, the storage duration significantly affected the parameter of germination time, germination rate, tuber weight loss, and seedling dry weight. These research findings show that the harvest age of 60-65 DAP and the storage duration of 30 DAH give the best viability and vigor of shallot tuber. Therefore, we suggest that it is necessary to pay attention to tubers' harvest age and storage duration to find their maximal growth and yield of shallots.