This investigation on mutation induced in gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus) cv. American Beauty through physical and chemical mutagens was carried out at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari (Gujarat). Corms were treated with different doses of gamma rays (5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 kR), EMS (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%) and DES (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%). Different vegetative, floral and yield characters were taken under study.
The gladiolus is known worldwide for its attractive spikes and has gained much importance as 'Queen of bulbous flowers' with ever increasing demand in the flower market. Among the commercial flowers, the gladiolus is one of the most important flowers in India because of its majestic spikes containing attractive, elegant and delicate florets of various shades, sequential opening of flowers for a longer duration and good keeping quality of cut flowers.
Gladiolas need attention towards genetic improvement as the demand of flowers is increasing continuously. Since garden varieties of today come from diverse genetic parentage that are heteroploids ranging from 2n=30 to 180 and hypo aneauploids so the reproduction by seeds in this case has no meaning to maintain the varietal identity, but for evolution of new forms. Due to its heterozygosity in genetic constitutions, this makes it promising test material for induction of mutagens where only one or a few characters are to be improved upon without changing the entire genotype which offers promising possibilities. The gladiolus is vegetatively grown to perfection and so mutation breeding offers great potentialities as the mutated part can be conveniently perpetuated by vegetative means resulting in the development of new forms. Hence, the present investigation was conducted and the emphasis was laid on finding out desirable variations caused by physical mutagens (gamma radiations) and chemical mutagens (EMS & DES) in gladiolus cv. American Beauty.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
References
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this investigation is to analyze the effects of physical (gamma rays) and chemical (EMS, DES) mutagens on the vegetative, floral, and yield characteristics of the gladiolus cultivar 'American Beauty', specifically aiming to identify optimal treatment concentrations for genetic improvement.
- Induction of mutations in gladiolus cv. American Beauty
- Evaluation of physical mutagen effects (gamma rays)
- Evaluation of chemical mutagen effects (EMS and DES)
- Analysis of vegetative, floral, and yield parameters
- Identification of dose-dependent growth and flowering responses
Excerpt from the Book
Results and Discussion
The data on different vegetative characters showed significant difference except plant height (Table 1). The data revealed that minimum days required for sprouting (10.40) with maximum number of sprouts per corm (2.27) was observed in treatment of 0.5% EMS which was at par with 5 kR gamma radiations (10.67 days and 2.13, respectively) as compared to rest and control. Maximum survival and sprouting per cent i.e. 100 was found when the corms were not treated. It was clearly seen that the days to sprouting were increasing while number of sprouts, sprouting per cent and survival per cent were found to be decreasing with the increasing concentration of gamma rays, EMS and DES. The decrease in sprouting at higher doses of the mutagens may be attributed to disturbances at cellular level (caused either at physiological (or) physical level) or because of hormonal activity. Similar results were also observed in petunia when treated with higher doses of EMS (Berenschot et al., 2008). The uncertainity was observed because the alkylating agents are highly unstable entities. Moreover, the reduction in survival per cent is because of the effect of mutagen on meristematic cell or might be due to acute chromosomal damage, delay in onset of mitosis, chromosomal aberration induce enzyme activity such as catalyse and lipase production (Tiwari et al., 2010). These results are in parallel line of work reported by Misra (1977) who also stated that higher doses of gamma radiations adversely affect both sprouting and survival of the plants in gladiolus cv. Oscar and Misra and Bajpai (1983) also reported similar results in gladiolus cv. Scarlet Double.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the significance of gladiolus as a commercial flower and the potential of mutation breeding to induce desirable genetic variations for crop improvement.
Materials and Methods: Details the experimental setup, including the 13 different treatments with gamma rays, EMS, and DES applied to 'American Beauty' gladiolus corms at the research farm.
Results and Discussion: Analyzes the gathered data on sprouting, plant growth, floral characteristics, and yield, comparing the efficacy of various mutagenic doses.
References: Provides a comprehensive list of scientific literature and studies cited to support the findings of the investigation.
Keywords
Gamma rays, EMS, DES, gladiolus, mutation, corms, sprouting, flowering, vegetative growth, pollen fertility, plant height, floral characters, yield parameters, mutation breeding, American Beauty
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on inducing genetic mutations in the gladiolus cultivar 'American Beauty' using physical and chemical mutagens to study their effects on various plant traits.
Which mutagenic agents were utilized in the study?
The study utilized physical mutagen gamma rays (at doses from 5 kR to 10 kR) and chemical mutagens, specifically Ethyl Methan Sulphonate (EMS) and Diethyl Sulphonate (DES).
What is the main objective of using these mutagens?
The primary goal is to achieve genetic improvement in gladiolus by inducing desirable variations in vegetative and floral characteristics without compromising the overall genotype.
What scientific methodology was applied?
The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Block Design with 13 different treatments and a control group, followed by statistical analysis using the control versus rest method.
What are the key parameters measured in the study?
Researchers measured vegetative parameters (sprouting, plant height, leaf count), floral characteristics (blooming period, floret size, days to opening), and yield-related metrics (spike number, corm production).
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Gamma rays, EMS, DES, gladiolus, mutation, mutation breeding, and specific growth and floral performance indicators.
Which specific treatment yielded the best vegetative and floral performance?
The treatment with 0.5% EMS (T7) consistently recorded the most favorable results, including the highest plant height, maximum number of florets, and optimal flowering time.
How did higher concentrations of mutagens affect the plants?
Higher doses of both physical and chemical mutagens generally caused adverse effects, resulting in decreased survival rates, reduced growth, and delayed flowering due to potential cellular and chromosomal damage.
What was the impact on pollen fertility?
Pollen fertility was found to be highest in the control group and drastically reduced across all mutagenic treatments, with the lowest fertility observed at the highest dose of gamma rays.
- Quote paper
- Sudha Patil (Author), 2017, Mutation Induced in Gladiolas through Physical and Chemical Mutagens, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/376418
