Radiation and chemical mutagen induced somaclonal variations through in vitro organogenesis of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the investigation was to induce somaclonal variations by gamma rays (GR), ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS) and sodium azide (SA) during in vitro organogenesis of cotton.

Materials and methods: The shoot tip explants were irradiated with 5–50 Gray (Gy) GR (Cobalt 60), 0.5–5.0 mM EMS and SA separately, and inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with plant growth regulator (PGR) for organogenesis. The plantlets with well-developed root systems were acclimatized and transferred into the experimental field to screen the somaclonal variations during growth and development.

Results: The number of somaclonal variations was observed in growth of irradiated/treated shoot tips, multiplication, plantlet regeneration and growth in vitro and ex vitro. The lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic treatments showed significant enhancement in selected agronomical characters and they showed decreased trends with increasing doses/concentrations of mutagenic agents.

Conclusions: The results of the present study revealed the influence of lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic treatments on in vitro and ex vitro growth of cotton plantlets and their significant improvement in agronomical characters which needs further imperative stability analysis. The present observations showed the platform to use lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic agents to induce variability for enhanced agronomical characters, resistant and tolerant cotton varieties.

Keywords::

• Cotton
• mutagenesis
• plantlets
• variations
• performance
• characters

Acknowledgements

The author (AM) is grateful to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India for the financial assistance (Grant no. 9/475 (105) 2002–EMR I). We would like to thank the Editorial board, three anonymous reviewers, Dr P. Venkatachalam and Dr P. Mariappan for their constructive comments and suggestions to improve earlier version of the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.