Chemical and Physical Mutagenesis Approaches for Identification of Herbicide and Drought Tolerance Traits in Wheat

Abstract

AbstractSince their inception, plant species have gathered numerous genetic polymorphisms which became fodder for evolutionary processes to shape the modern-day plants, agriculture and our food habits. However, while the current agricultural practices have substantially narrowed down this gene pool variability, the demand for novel and improved traits is ever persistent. Therefore, over decades, various techniques for artificial induction of mutations have been optimized. Indeed, induced mutagenesis has become central to the process of generating novel traits in crop cultivars and in understanding of gene function, genetic pathways and evolutionary processes.In this chapter, using the complex polyploid crop species wheat as a case study, we have enlisted a step-by-step procedure for induction of polymorphisms by ethyl methanesulphonate and gamma radiation as representatives for chemical and physical mutagens, respectively. We explain the mutant screening protocols in detail using herbicide resistance and drought stress tolerance as traits of interest. We also discuss the state-of-the-art genomic techniques and pipelines that can be followed for identification of the causal mutations in polyploid crops, such as wheat.Key wordsMutagenesisEthyl methanesulphonate (EMS)Gamma radiationMutant screeningWheatPolyploid crops