The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is collaborating with the Faculty of Agriculture at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to develop innovative virus elimination technology for garlic seeds. This strategic step is expected to boost the crop productivity of local farmers while reducing Indonesia's high dependence on garlic imports.
Until now, the national garlic production chain has often been hindered by the decline in seed quality due to the continuous vegetative propagation method using cloves. This conventional method is prone to accumulating harmful viruses and pathogens from one plant generation to the next, which ultimately degrades the quality of the harvest significantly.
The Head of BRIN's Horticulture Research Center, Dwinita Wikan Utami, explained that this collaboration runs under the umbrella of the Strategic Research and Innovation Program (PRIS). The main focus of the research is to create superior, large-bulbed garlic varieties that are adaptive to high temperatures, as well as to provide a low-cost, easy-to-apply virus elimination method for seed breeders and farmers.
Based on initial identification results, UGM plant virologist Sedyo Hartono revealed that approximately 80 percent of garlic samples from various production centers—such as Temanggung, Magelang, Tawangmangu, Enrekang, and Yogyakarta—were double-infected by Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) and Shallot latent virus (SLV). Ironically, the symptoms of these infections are often invisible as they are masked by fungal disease attacks in the field.
The research, projected to run for two years, began with the validation of laboratory methods and the creation of a virus-cleansing device prototype. In addition to UGM, this research consortium is reinforced by the involvement of IPB University, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and the Del Institute of Technology. Field trials will later be centered in the Food, Water, and Energy Self-Sufficiency Zone (KSPAE) of Humbang Hasundutan, North Sumatra.
