Mutation studies in chrysanthemum cultivar Poornima white

Abstract

Rooted cuttings of chrysanthemum cultivar Poornima White were subjected to the different doses of both physical (gamma rays) and chemical mutagens (EMS) with the objective of determining the optimum dose for inducing the variation in both vegetative and flower characteristics. The experiment was planned out in poly house with eleven treatments and three replications. Effect of mutagen was significantly varied with dose of mutagen and type of mutagen, survival percentage of mutated plants was decreased with increasing dose of mutagen. Minimum survival percentage of plants was observed in 15 Gy gamma irradiation treatment and there was no survivability of plants in 20 Gy gamma irradiation treatment. Changes in morphological and flower characteristics were observed in mutagen treated plants. Reduction in flower size and increase in flower yield in one plant which was treated with 5 Gy gamma irradiation, dwarf plants were observed in 10 Gy gamma irradiated plants and chlorophyll variegated plants were observed at 0.1% EMS treatment. Molecular analysis was done by using five SRAP primers to detect the genetic polymorphism between parents and mutants and highest similarity of ninety per cent was observed between PWM2 and PWM1.