EMS as a Tool for Enhancing Morphological and Physiological traits in Arrowhead (Syngonium podophyllum)

The Nilakottai ecotype, a renowned indigenous variety of tuberose cultivated by farmers in the Dindigul district, is distinguished by its unique fragrance. To further enhance the floral characteristics of this tuberose ecotype, mutation breeding was undertaken at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The present study involved 11 treatments, each replicated 3 times, using a CRD (completely randomized design). The results revealed that the LD50 for the Nilakottai ecotype with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) was 0.42 %. As the EMS concentration increased, there was a reduction in both sprouting and survival, with a 38.2 % and 56.24 % decrease respectively, at the highest concentration. Morphological parameters such as root length, shoot length, leaf length, leaf width and the number of leaves also showed a decrease of 78.80 %, 71.16 %, 87.29 %, 61.90 % and 62.99 % respectively, compared to the control at 1.0 % EMS. Pollen viability studies indicated a reduction in viability with increasing EMS concentration, showing 85.74 % viability in the control group and only 31.54 % at 1.0 % EMS. Analysis of antioxidant enzymes revealed a significant increase in catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels with higher EMS concentrations. Overall, EMS had a pronounced effect on various traits, including germination, growth and antioxidant activity.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is a legume cultivatd majorly for it’s seeds and commonly grown by subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to determine the effect of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) mutagen on the growth, yield and some physiological parameters of non-water stressed (NWS) and water stressed (WS) bambara groundnut. It’s seeds were treated with five concentrations (0.00 (control), 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00% v/v) Ethyl methane sulphonate and were grown under two conditions: non-water stressed and water stressed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences (P ≤ 0.50) in the emergence percentage (6 DAS), germination percentage (7 DAS), plant height (PH), number of leaves per plant (NL), leaf length (LL), leaf width, (LW), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll contents in the non-water stressed and water stressed plants. After rewatering at 8 WAS, highest number of leaves in NWS and WS conditions were observed in 0.75% EMS concentration (229, 189), highest leaf length in NWS and WS plants were observed in 0.50% EMS concentration (9.47cm, 9.13cm). Highest leaf width in NWS and WS plants was observed in 0.25% EMS concentration (4cm, 3.63cm). Highest number of pods per plant (NP) and weight of pods per plant (WP) were observed in 0.75% EMS concentration only in NWS plants. Highest chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content was observed in 1.00% EMS concentration. The result form this study showed that Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) mutagen concentration increased the growth, yield and physiological parameters of Bambara groundnut in non-water stressed condition at different doses, however there was no positive effect of EMS on yield in the water stressed plants.

Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as pothos, is a hardy indoor foliage ornamental crop. Mutation breeding in Golden pothos is needed to meet the demand for more valuable and highly sought-after cultivars. The present study aimed to exploit variability on various parameters viz. new leaf emergence, survival percentage, plant height, length and width of leaves. The experiment was set up using a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with 8 treatments and 3 replications. Rooted cuttings of Golden pothos were treated with varying concentrations of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS) for 4 hours, and a control treatment was included. The results showed that all the treated cuttings with EMS delays the new leaf emergence period compared to the control. Compared to the control, the minimum number of new leaf emergences was found in EMS-treated plants. The maximum survival percentage (100%) was recorded in 0.1%, 0.5% and control treatment. The lowest plant height (15.3 cm ) was observed in treatment T4 (1.5 % EMS) treated plants. However, maximum plant height was observed in the control treatment at 150 days of interval. In comparison to the control, EMS decreased the length and width of leaves at higher dosages. The minimum leaf length and width, i.e. 2.40 cm and 1.20 cm, were recorded in plants treated with EMS at 2%, while maximum length and width were observed in control and low EMS-treated plants. The study showed that ethyl methane sulfonate affected plant development characteristics and showed some dwarfness of money plants. This appears to be the first report of EMS treatment on pothos.

Optimizing nitrogen (N) fertilization in crop production by in-season measurements of crop N status may improve fertilizer N use efficiency. Hyperspectral measurements may be used to assess crop N status indirectly by estimating leaf and canopy chlorophyll content. This study evaluated the ability of the PROSAIL canopy-level reflectance model to predict leaf chlorophyll content of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during the growth stages between pre-tillering (Zadoks Growth Stage (ZGS 15)) to booting (ZGS50). Spring wheat was grown under different N fertility rates (0–200 kg N ha−1) in 2002. Canopy reflectance, leaf chlorophyll content, N content and leaf area index (LAI) values were measured. There was a weakly significant trend for the PROSAIL model to over-estimate LAI and under-estimate leaf chlorophyll content. To compensate for this interdependency by the model, a canopy chlorophyll content parameter (the product of leaf chlorophyll content and LAI) was calculated. The estimation accuracy for canopy chlorophyll content was generally low earlier in the growing season. This failure of the PROSAIL model to estimate leaf and canopy variables could be attributed to model sensitivity to canopy architecture. Earlier in the growing season, full canopy closure was not yet achieved, resulting in a non-homogenous canopy and strong soil background interference. The canopy chlorophyll content parameter was predicted more accurately than leaf chlorophyll content alone at booting (ZGS 45). A strong relationship between canopy chlorophyll content and canopy N content at ZGS 45 indicates that the PROSAIL model may be used as a tool to predict wheat N status from canopy reflectance measurements at booting or later.

This study aims to evaluate the response of K01 variety of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) to different concentrations of AB fertilizer in a hydroponic system. The experiment was conducted for six weeks at the Horticulture Research Center, MARDI Serdang, Malaysia, using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five AB fertilizer concentration treatments (T1 to T5), five replications, and six samples per replication. The tested AB fertilizer concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 2.0 EC. Parameters observed included leaf number, plant height, chlorophyll content, and leaf area index (LAI). The results showed that treatments with higher AB fertilizer concentrations (T2 and T3) produced the best results in leaf number, reaching 33.4 leaves by the sixth week. In contrast, treatments with lower AB fertilizer concentrations (T1 and T4) resulted in lower leaf numbers. This study concluded that optimal AB fertilizer concentrations can enhance leaf number and growth of K01 variety Chinese cabbage in a hydroponic system. Therefore, proper fertilizer concentration management is crucial in hydroponic cultivation of Chinese cabbage to achieve maximum growth.

Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) is a potent chemical mutagen widely used to induce genetic variability in crops, including rice (Oryza sativa L.). The objective of this research was to evaluate the combined effects of water pre-soaking, EMS concentration, and exposure duration on seed germination, seedling survival, and early growth parameters in the rice variety Uma. A three-factor factorial experiment was conducted to analyse the interactive influence of water pre-soaking (non-soaked, pre-soaked for 10 h), EMS concentrations (0-2.5%), and exposure durations (6-24 h). Results revealed that increasing EMS concentration and exposure time caused a progressive decline in germination percentage, survival rate, root length, and shoot length. However, the three-way interaction among pre-soaking, EMS concentration, and exposure duration was significant, indicating that seed hydration status modulated EMS-induced effects. Pre-soaking for 10 h conferred a protective influence by enhancing tolerance to EMS stress, as reflected in higher germination and growth performance compared to non-soaked treatments. The LD₅₀ value was approximately 1.0% EMS for non-pre-soaked seeds and 0.5% EMS for pre-soaked seeds, demonstrating that seed hydration substantially influences mutagen sensitivity.

Estimating crop leaf area index and chlorophyll content using a deep learning-based hyperspectral analysis method

Continuous and accurate estimates of crop canopy leaf area index (LAI) and chlorophyll content are of great importance for crop growth monitoring. These estimates can be useful for precision agricultural management and agricultural planning. Our objectives were to investigate the joint retrieval of corn canopy LAI and chlorophyll content using filtered reflectances from Sentinel-2 and MODIS data acquired during the corn growing season, which, being generally hot and rainy, results in few cloud-free Sentinel-2 images. In addition, the retrieved time series of LAI and chlorophyll content results were used to monitor the corn growth behavior in the study area. Our results showed that: (1) the joint retrieval of LAI and chlorophyll content using the proposed joint probability distribution method improved the estimation accuracy of both corn canopy LAI and chlorophyll content. Corn canopy LAI and chlorophyll content were retrieved jointly and accurately using the PROSAIL model with fused Kalman filtered (KF) reflectance images. The relation between retrieved and field measured LAI and chlorophyll content of four corn-growing stages had a coefficient of determination (R2) of about 0.6, and root mean square errors (RMSEs) ranges of mainly 0.1–0.2 and 0.0–0.3, respectively. (2) Kalman filtering is a good way to produce continuous high-resolution reflectance images by synthesizing Sentinel-2 and MODIS reflectances. The correlation between fused KF and Sentinel-2 reflectances had an R2 value of 0.98 and RMSE of 0.0133, and the correlation between KF and field-measured reflectances had an R2 value of 0.8598 and RMSE of 0.0404. (3) The derived continuous KF reflectances captured the crop behavior well. Our analysis showed that the LAI increased from day of year (DOY) 181 (trefoil stage) to DOY 236 (filling stage), and then increased continuously until harvest, while the chlorophyll content first also increased from DOY 181 to DOY 236, and then remained stable until harvest. These results revealed that the jointly retrieved continuous LAI and chlorophyll content could be used to monitor corn growth conditions.

Temporal disparity in leaf chlorophyll content and leaf area index across a growing season in a temperate deciduous forest

Mutation breeding is a great way to create variation in plant genomes, and Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS) is commonly used for this purpose. To determine the optimum dose of EMS for developing large-scale mutants, B. napus and B. rapa (BARI Sarisha-18 and BARI Sarisha-20, respectively) were treated using six different concentrations (T0:0%, T1:0.1%, T2:0.2%, T3:0.3%, T4:0.4%, and T5:0.5%) of EMS. For B. napus, 100% germination was observed in T0, T1, and T2, while for B. rapa, it was in T0 and T1 treatment. The highest survival rates, 70% for B. napus and 60% for B. rapa, were recorded at T1 treatment. Morphological traits such as leaf number, shoot and root length, and fresh and dry weights was found highest in T1 treatment for both species. The LD50 was calculated at 0.16% for B. napus and 0.18% for B. rapa, indicating the ideal dose for generating a large number of mutants. Bangladesh J. Bot. 53(4): 1077-1080, 2024 (December)

This study was conducted to augment genetic variability in niger plant (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) using gamma rays and ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) Niger (G. abyssinica) seeds of cultivar N-71 were exposed to various doses of gamma rays which ranged from 24 to 28 KR and different concentrations of EMS which ranged from 0.2 to 0.4% and in combination. Morphogenic and agronomic traits in the M1 and M2 generations that analyzed included: percentage of germination and survival, plant height, number of branches, capitulum size, number of ray florets per capitulum, number of disc florets per capitulum, head size, number of capitula per plant, number of seeds per capitulum, seed yield per plant and 1000-seed weight. The results of the present study showed that the three gamma irradiation doses used (24, 26 and 28 KR) had decreasing effect in most of the agronomic and morphological traits evaluated in M1. However, combination treatments like 24 KR+0.2% EMS and 26KR+0.4% EMS showed a noteworthy increase of grain yield and yield related components. In general, for the three irradiation doses in M1 population, there were no significant changes observed in morphological traits, however, in progenies of collective mutagenic treated seeds some potential high-yielding mutants were identified.

Incremental learning for crop growth parameters estimation and nitrogen diagnosis from hyperspectral data

Mutation breeding in crop plants such as brinjal (Solanummelongena L.) is a successful approach in change of producthaving narrow genetic base and to explore it a field experimentwas conducted toevaluate the effect of physical mutagensuch as gamma rays and chemical mutagens such as Ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS) were used on two brinjalgenotypes namely Banarasi Gol and Kashi Taru. The seedswere treated with different concentrations of gammairradiation (5, 10, 15 and 20 kR) and EMS (0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and0.20%).The increasing concentration of mutagens wasrecorded with a negative response on all growth and yieldattributes of both the genotypes which ultimately reducethe yield. In this context the 5kR gamma rays and 0.05%EMS concentration were recorded with superior values ofall characters in M2 generation. Early flowering and earlyedible fruit maturity was observed under 5kR gamma raysover all other treatments. The fruit yield per plant increasedby 19.87% and 20.30% of Banarasi Gol and Kashi Taru,respectively under 5kR gamma rays over control. Lowestvalue of all characters was recorded under 0.20% EMS ascompared to all other treatments including control. Thus itcan be concluded on present study basis that the increasingconcentration of mutagens were showed an adverse effectfor all characters.

The genetic variation in Musa (ABB group, Bluggoe subgroup) cv. ‘Phee-gyan’, a popular cultivar in Myanmar, was enhanced by in vitro application of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) mutagenesis to proliferated shoot tips. Shoot tips were treated with EMS at concentrations of 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9%, 1.2%, and 1.5% across three incubation periods (30 min, 60 min, and 90 min) and cultured in five replicates using a randomized block design. The experiment was conducted at the laboratories of New Genetics (YAU) and Biotechnology Research Section (DAR) during 2023-2024. The results showed a dose-dependent decrease in survival percentage, shoot length, and fresh weight in the M1V1 generation compared to the control. The highest survival rate (91.48%) was recorded at 0.3% EMS (30 min), while the lowest survival (31.29%) occurred at 1.5% EMS (90 min). A 50% survival rate was recorded at 1.2% EMS (90 min), indicating a balance between mutation induction and plant viability. Shoot length was reduced to ~ 50% of the control at 1.2% EMS across all incubation times, while fresh weight decreased to ~ 50% of the control at 1.5% EMS (60 min and 90 min). Determining the lethal dose (LD₅₀) is essential to identify the optimum EMS concentration that maximizes mutagenesis efficiency while minimizing plant damage. Probit analysis determined LD₅₀ values based on survival percentage as 1.9% EMS (30 min and 60 min), and 1.2% EMS (90 min). For shoot length, LD₅₀ values were 1.3% EMS (30 min), and 1.1% EMS (60 min and 90 min), while for fresh weight, they were 1.9% EMS (30 min), 1.7% EMS (60 min), and 1.5% EMS (90 min). Based on these findings, 1.2% EMS (90 min) was determined to be the optimal mutagenesis condition for inducing genetic variability in banana cv. ‘Phee-gyan’. This optimized treatment could facilitate the improvement of key traits in banana breeding programs.

Vegetatively propagated crops like Jasminum auriculatum have a constraint in genetic variation due to a narrow genetic base that restricts the insights in any crop breeding programme. Mutation breeding is a potential tool that directs a way to create desirable variation effectively in vegetatively propagated crops. The optimum dose of mutagen is the one which produces the maximum frequency of mutation in turn the variation, with minimum killing. The aim of the present paper unveils the Lethal Dose (LD50) and the growth reduction dose (GR50) for both Gamma irradiation (GI) and Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) for the ecotype ‘Muthu Mullai’ of Jasminum auriculatum. These parameters of GR and EMS treated cuttings were analysed by considering the GR50 values of the mortality rate (57%, 48%), survival percentage (12.479Gy, 13.268mM), shoot length (18.59Gy, 18.28mM), root length (20.39Gy, 18.17mM), number of leaves (22.29Gy, 17.47mM), number of sprouts (22.97Gy, 16.17mM), vigour index (10.43Gy, 11.05mM), leaf length (21.61Gy, 19.90mM) and leaf width (19.2Gy, 16.17mM). The LD50 value was 12.479 Gy for GI and 13.268 mM for EMS treatment. The GR50 for different growth parameters ranged from 14.93 to 22.9 Gy for GI and 1.05 to 19.9 mM for EMS treatment. The mutagenic efficiency and effectiveness were 214.96 and 89.36 for GI and 48.66 and 33.77 for EMS treatment, respectively. These doses can be used for generating considerable variation, which can be put to use in future crop improvement programmes for Jasmine.