Efficiency of induced mutagenesis at early stages (gametes, zygotes, proembryos) of ontogenesis in Nigella damascena L.
SummaryAn original technique has been developed of treating gametes, zygotes and early embryos of Nigella damascena L. with chemical and physical mutagens. A delay in fertilization and a decrease in the rate of cell division of the embryo and the endosperm after mutagen treatment have been found. Our method of treating gametes, zygotes and proembryos with chemical and physical mutagens is, by all criteria, superior to that of treating dry seeds. Treatment applied at early stages of ontogenesis not only induced a much higher mutation ratio compared with dry seeds, but also gave a broader mutation spectrum. The 55 types of hereditary change obtained affect the structure of vegetative and reproductive organs. Mutations which change the structure of the reproductive organs of flowers are of specific interest.The optimum dose for this object and the method of treatment which induces high mutation ratio (up to 96 % of families with changes) is 0.003p (16 hrs) for ethylenimine and 0.005p or 0.008p (16 hrs) for nitrosomethylurea. Treatment of dry seeds turned out to be much less effective.
Mutation induction by proembryo irradiation
Abstract In mutation breeding programs for many cereal crops, pollen irradiation has not proved to be a practical method for mutation induction, although theoretically the method of choice. The more commonly used procedure, that of irradiating dry seeds containing fully differentiated, “mature” embryos, has as its principal drawback the small size of the isomutant-carrying sector which can be produced in the R-1 plant. As a consequence of the small R-2 isomutant populations thus available for testing, screening procedures must usually be delayed until the R-3 or later generations. In this study, irradiation of proembryo stages has been investigated with regard to the practicality of using this method for mutation induction in cereal crops such as barley. By using albino mutations as genetic sector markers, we find that irradiation of barley proembryos with a relatively low total dose will yield much larger isomutant-carrying sectors and consequently far greater number of isomutant R-2 plants, with a comparable mutation frequency and less sterility than can be obtained by dry seed irradiation. Of great importance to the plant breeder is the possibility that the screening for less drastic mutations and multiple testing can be carried out at least one generation earlier by virtue of the larger isomutant populations produced by proembryo irradiation. Despite the more cumbersome handling involved during radiation treatment, the advantages which proembryo irradiation affords over dry seed irradiation would seem to recommend this method for cereal crops in those situations wherein pollen irradiation is not practical.
Effect of Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines) on Yield of Resistant and Susceptible Soybean Cultivars Grown in Ohio.
Soybean (Glycine max) producers in Ohio rarely use soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines, SCN)-resistant cultivars because of concerns over limited yield potential and lack of resistance to Phytophthora sojae. A two-year study was initiated to determine grain yield and nematode population increase on soybean cyst nematode-resistant cultivars in maturity groups II and III in production fields. Sites differed in soil texture, nematode densities, and P. sojae infestation at a number of locations in Ohio. Soil was assayed for nematode densities before planting and at harvest. Yields of resistant cultivars averaged 0% to 18% higher than those of susceptible cultivars in fine-textured soils with average preplant populations ranging from 463 to 14,330 SCN eggs/100 cm(3) soil. In coarse-textured soils, yields of susceptible cultivars were 21% to 56% less than the resistant cultivars with average preplant densities ranging from 1,661 to 15,558 SCN eggs/100 cm(3) soil. The reproductive index ranged from 0.1 to 5.5 for resistant cultivars and 0.4 to 112 for susceptible cultivars. In 1993, yield of P. sojae-susceptible, nematode-resistant 'Asgrow A 3431' was as high as yield of the P. sojae-resistant, nematode-susceptible cultivar 'Resnik' in a Phytophthora-infested field. The nematode-resistant cultivars Madison Experimental 131527 and Asgrow A3431 had higher yields than AgVenture AV1341 and susceptible cultivars Resnik and Kenwood when compared over five nematode-infested sites. Nematode-resistant cultivars were found to be excellent alternatives to currently grown susceptible cultivars for managing SCN where group III cultivars are used. However, better cultivar alternatives may be needed for sites with combined Phytophthora root rot and cyst nematode problems.