Mutagenesis in crop improvement: methods and applications

ABSTRACT

Mutagenesis is the process of creating mutations in an organism’s DNA. Induced mutagenesis can be used to create crops with higher yields, better quality, disease and insect resistance, and stress tolerance, all of which are critical for food security and sustainable agriculture. Physical, biological and chemical mutagens can induce mutations in seeds and other plant propagules, followed by selection for superior agronomic traits in the first generation. The phenotypic stability of agronomic features generated by the mutagenesis process is established in the second and third generations, with the following generations undergoing further evaluation. Only mutant lines exhibiting the desired characteristics are chosen as new varieties or parent lines for a breeding program. New crop varieties are developed around the world utilizing induced mutagenesis techniques such as irradiation or chemical mutagens. In this review, we examine the different approaches to mutagenesis, their applications, challenges and prospects for increasing crop productivity and quality.

KEYWORDS:

• Induced mutations
• mutagens
• mutant lines
• plant breeding
• variety development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author Contribution

DAA and EOO developed the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

David Adedayo Animasaun

David Adedayo Animasaun is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Plant Biology, Universality of Ilorin, Nigeria. His teaching and research areas covers plant breeding, plant molecular biology and biotechnology. He is also the researcher-in-charge at the Unilorin Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory.

Ebenezer Olaitan Oguntoye

Ebenezer Olaitan Oguntoye is Master degree student in Applied Genetics and Plant Breeding at the department of Plant Biology, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.