Mutagenic Influence of EMS and SA on Germination, Root–Shoot Growth and Pollen Viability in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Pest and disease attack is a limiting factor in the production of sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.). Efforts to assemble superior sesame varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases can be a solution to increase productivity. To get superior varieties can be done through mutations using gamma-ray irradiation. The problem is the mutations can affect the viability and morphology of pollen. This research aimed to determine the effect of gamma-ray irradiation doses on the viability and morphology of sesame pollen. It was conducted at Indonesian Sweetener and Fiber Crops Research Institute and Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanic Garden-LIPI, from January to May 2019. It was arranged in completely randomized design with two factors. The first factor was the type of sesame variety (Sumberrejo 1, Winas 1, and Winas 2),, while the second factor was the dose of gamma-ray irradiation (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 600 Gy). The variables to be observed were the viability and morphology of pollen. The results showed that gamma-ray irradiation up to a dose of 600 Gy did not affect the morphology, but did affected the viability of sesame pollen. The viability of pollen Sumberrejo 1 and Winas 1 varieties irradiated at doses of 100-300 Gy did not change and remained high (>50%), but at doses >300 Gy, viability decreased up to 50%), tetapi pada dosis >300 Gy, viabilitas menurun hingga <50%. Pada Winas 2, viabilitas serbuk sari <10%, baik diiradiasi maupun tidak. Morfologi serbuk sari wijen varietas Sumberrejo 1, Winas 1 dan 2 memiliki karakter monad, isopolar, stephanoaperture, dengan ukuran unit yang bervariasi. Kata kunci: iradiasi, sinar gamma, serbuk sari, wijen ( Sesamum indicum L.)

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), often referred to as the "Queen of oilseeds," is one of the world's most traditional oilseed crops. A field experiment was conducted during 2021 and 2022 at V. O. Chidambaranar Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam to investigate the effect of various media compositions on the performance of sesame seedlings grown for transplanting. The experiment followed a randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. Observations including seed germination percentage, shoot length, number of leaves, root length, root volume and vigour index were recorded. In the preliminary experiment, among the media combinations, the results showed that T4 recorded the highest seed germination percentage (82.30 %), shoot length (18.8 cm), number of leaves (5.2), root length (2.9 cm), root volume (0.15 cc) and vigour index (1786), while the lowest values were recorded in the control (T5) with no media application. So that red earth, sand and vermicompost (1:1:2) media used for raising different age of seedling transplanted in the main field. Ridge planting of 20 days old sesame seedlings (T4) for transplanting resulted significantly higher dry matter production of 2888 kg ha-1, crop growth rate of 3.96 g m-2 day-1, relative growth rate of 0.016 g g-1 day-1 from 60 DAT to harvest and a seed yield of 901 kg ha-1 compared to all other treatment combinations.

Evaluation of yield and seedling vigour related traits of Swarna/ Oryza nivara backcross introgression lines under three environment conditions

The rising temperatures are seriously impacting the food crops, including urdbean; hence efforts are needed to identify the sources of heat tolerance in such crops to ensure global food security. In the present study, urdbean genotypes were evaluated for heat tolerance under natural outdoor for two consecutive years (2018, 2019) and subsequently in the controlled environment of the growth chamber to identify high temperature tolerant lines. The genotypes were assessed involving few physiological traits (membrane damage, chlorophyll, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, lipid peroxidation), reproductive traits (pollen germination % and pollen viability %) and yield related traits (total number of pods plant-1, total seeds plant-1, single seed weight and seed yield plant-1). Based upon these tested traits, PantU31, Mash114, UTTARA and IPU18-04 genotypes were identified as promising genotypes for both years under heat stress condition. Further confirming heat tolerance, all these four tolerant and four sensitive genotypes were tested under controlled environment under growth chamber condition. All these four genotypes PantU31, Mash114, UTTARA and IPU18-04 showed high chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, leaf area, pods plant-1, total seeds plant-1 and low reduction in pollen germination % and pollen viability under stress heat stress condition. Moreover, yield and yield related traits viz., pods plant-1, seeds plant-1, single seed weight and seed yield plant-1 showed very strong positive correlation with pollen germination and pollen viability except electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. Thus, these genotypes could be potentially used as donors for transferring heat tolerance trait to the elite yet heat-sensitive urdbean cultivars.

BackgroundIn India majority of the cultivable land area is becoming nutrient deficient, thus the development of tolerant varieties that can sustain under various stresses is essential. Identification of vigorous and nutrient-use-efficient rice genotypes is required for future breeding programmes. Such donor genotypes are prerequisites to develop high yielding varieties that can survive and yield under both normal and adverse conditions. Seedling vigour is an important trait that helps in the early survival of crop in input-limited environments. Thus, the present study was aimed at characterizing rice wild introgression lines for seedling vigour index and yield under both low and normal recommended doses of phosphorous (P) conditions.MethodologiesA total of fifteen rice genotypes, including 12 wild introgression lines and 3 check varieties, were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications under both low and normal recommended doses of phosphorous for agronomic traits. The genotypes were also evaluated for seedling vigour indices on the 7th day and 14th day under laboratory conditions.ResultsThe study detected a significant difference for all the traits among genotypes grown under normal and low P conditions. Trait association revealed a significant correlation of single plant yield with fresh root weight and seedling vigour index 2 at 14 days after germination under normal P conditions. Similarly, under low P conditions, single plant yield exhibited a significant association with fresh root weight and fresh shoot weight at 7 days. Seedling vigour index 2 exhibited a significant positive correlation with fresh root weight and fresh shoot weight under normal and low P conditions. Further stress tolerance indices were estimated to detect the nutrient stress tolerance under low P conditions, and the study showed that Stress Tolerance Index (STI) and Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) are the better indices and the genotypes NPS56-2, NPK55 were observed as tolerant. Similarly, the genotype R-58, and NDR-359 reported a less percentage of yield reduction and with moderate to high STI, GMP values indicates the stable yielding ability of these genotypes. The study concludes the potential of these cultivars for the simultaneous improvement of yield and seedling vigour traits in changing climatic conditions.

High temperature limit crop productivity as a consequence of global warming and climate change. In particular, high temperature interferes with sexual reproduction and thus fruit and seed formation in crops. In the present study, phenotypic evaluation of a tomato population, including 21 tomato genotypes, was carried out under high-temperature stress (35°C). Several reproductive and yield-related traits, including the number of inflorescences, number of flowers per inflorescence, pollen viability, fruit set, number of fruits per plant, and number of fruits per inflorescence, were investigated. Significant positive correlations between pollen viability and fruit set were observed (r = 0.83). Based on the obtained findings, the fruit set, pollen viability, number of fruits per plant, and number of fruits per inflorescence were recognized as markers for heat tolerance screening of tomato genotypes. These traits effectively separate tolerant and sensitive genotypes, which can be used in breeding program. At the same time, the number of inflorescences and the number of flowers per inflorescence did not separate between tolerant and sensitive genotypes. In conclusion, heat stress, through influencing pollen viability and fertilization, imposes its effects on reproductive organ development in tomato genotypes.

Pollen viability and germinability are indispensable criteria in plant breeding programmes. This research evaluated eleven M4 mutant lines of gamma irradiated sesame (Sesamum indicum) for some pollen parameters. Seeds were obtained from the Department of Plant Biology, Federal University of Technology, Minna and were raised to maturity alongside their respective checks in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The field experiment was conducted at the experimental field of the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, Minna. Pollen viability and diameter were determined using standard procedure. The germinability test was done using three different sucrose concentrations (10 %, 20 % and 30 %) with 1 % nutrient agar solution. The results revealed that all the M4 mutant lines had adequate pollen viabilities (over 80%) with ML-10 having the highest (97.56 %) viability followed by ML-7 (95.61 %), ML-8 (95.01 %) and Check-2 (95.60 %). The highest pollen germinability was recorded at 20 % sucrose concentration for all the mutant lines with line ML-7 (39.70 %) having the highest percentage. Check-1 at 10 % sucrose concentration recorded the least percentage (11.46 %) across the concentration and treatments. Highest pollen diameter (169.52μm) was recorded in Check-1. Suboblate shapes with 10-13 colpi was observed in all the mutant lines and the checks. Pollens from all the lines comprised of circular and elliptic pollens except in ML-7 and the checks where the pollens were solely circular in polar view. The study revealed that gamma-irradiation could be a reasonable tool for inducing variability in sesame and advantageous in increasing the pollen viability.

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate 21 genotypes of sesame on the basis of 8 morphologicalcharacters to assess the pollen viability of the selected promising genotypes as well the ideal time for maximum pollen viability. Pollen viability was assessed at three different times, viz., 7.45 a.m., 11.00 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. Based on morphological characters all the genotypes were grouped into 3 major clusters. Depending upon genetic distance seven promising genotypes were selected from different clusters for future crossing program. The average pollen viability of these seven promising parents was 85.57% at 7.45 a.m. followed by 72.55% at 11.00 a.m. and 63.84% at 12.45 p.m. Maximum pollen viability was observed in the morning hours i.e. at 7.45 a.m. Interestingly, out of the selected genotypes, the wild species, Sesamum mulayanam showed significantly more pollen viability percentage (96.61%) at 7.45 a.m. as compared to the genotypes belonging to the cultivated species, indicating its potential as a good pollinator.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a crucial oilseed crop known for its high nutritional value and economic significance. In India, it is cultivated across three seasons. Understanding which season is most suitable for achieving higher yield and good quality seed is essential for optimizing production. In light of this, the present investigation was carried out to assess the effect of growing seasons on seed yield and quality attributes of 20 sesame genotypes in during seasons Kharif 2023 and Rabi 2023-24 at S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati. The field experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) for the evaluation of yield traits and for the evaluation of the quality traits Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used in the laboratory. The Results indicated that under Rabi season higher values of traits such as ( Number of branches for plant, Capsule length, Number of capsules per plant, Number seeds per capsule, Test wight, Seed yield per plot, Field emergence percentage, Germination percentage, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index-I, seedling vigour index-II, oil content , protein content )were recorded , except for days to flowering, plant height, capsule breadth, seed moisture content, and electrical conductivity, which were higher during the Kharif season. This suggests that the cropping season impacts the growth behavior, leading to variations in seed yield and quality. Among the genotypes, 'Madhavi' demonstrated early maturity in both seasons, making it a potential early-maturing variety. 'Madhavi' also had the highest number of capsules per plant during the Kharif season, while 'GT-10' recorded the highest in the Rabi season. 'GT-10' excelled in seeds per capsule, capsule length and breadth, and test weight across both seasons, establishing it as a superior genotype for these traits. The highest seed yield was recorded by 'GT-10' in Kharif season, while 'Madhavi' had the highest yield in the Rabi season. The reduced yield in Kharif was attributed to phyllody disease, 'YLM-66' showed the highest field emergence in both seasons, indicating strong germination ability under different conditions. Regarding seed quality, 'Madhavi' had the highest oil and protein content, Seedling vigour index-I as well as the highest germination percentage in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. The genotype YLM-66 recorded highest seedling length in kharif season while YLM-11 recorded highest seedling length in Rabi season.

Seed priming is a technique, which could improve the germination and establishment on the seeds, which were stored for 1.5 years under normal conditions. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of different seed priming techniques, through un-soaked seed (control), Hydro-priming (soaked with distill water), 25 ppm of salicylic acid, 1.5% of Calcium chloride (CaCl2) and 3% of Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) for 10 hours on seed germination%, seedling vigor and forage yield of two sudangrass genotypes (Piper black and Giza1). Two experiments (laboratory and field) were conducted at Sakha Agric. Res. Station, ARC, Egypt, during the two successive summer seasons 2019 and 2020.The results obtained indicated that 25 ppm of salicylic acid followed by 1.5% of CaCl2 and 3% of KH2PO4 treatments significantly affected on seed germination percentage, shoot and root length, fresh and dry seedling weight, seed vigor index, seedling vigor index, electrical conductivity and forage yield. Piper black genotypes were the highest in seed germination percentage, seed vigor index and seedling dry weight, but it was the lowest of electrical conductivity. It could be concluded that seed priming may serve as an appropriate treatment for accelerating the emergence so improve cutting and forage yield of sudangrass genotypes under study. Significant differences for fresh yield ton /hectare and piper black had higher fresh, dry and total yield ton /hectare than Giza1. Seed priming had highly significant differences at all cuts in the two seasons and SA25 ppm Salsilc acid treatment had superior and the highest dry yield in the two seasons, while control treatment was the lowest dry yield. Technique of seed priming led to improving germination, seedling characters, and forage yield under experiment conditions in comparison to non-primed seed (dry seed) in sudangrass seed stored for 1.5 years. Salicylic acid with 25 ppm had the highest values followed by1.5% of CaCl2 and 3% of KH2PO4 in the field conditions. Piper black genotype was the best as compared with Giza1 genotype, which gave the highest seed germination %, seedling vigor and viability. May be recommended for hydropriming seeds for 10 hours in water, which led to an increase in the total fresh yield by 30%, the highest seed germination percentage (94.00 and 92.50%), seed vigor index (20.79 and 19.84) and seedling vigor index (2194.11 and 2236.47) as practical seeds about 10 hours treatment.

Woodlands in Iceland are characterized by shrub-like birch, a result of introgressive hybridization between diploid dwarf birch, Betula nana, and tetraploid downy birch, B. pubescens. Introgression occurs via triploid hybrids. We evaluated the fertility of triploid birch by examining pollen viability and seed germination. Pollen samples were collected from woodlands throughout Iceland from 99 plants, including 22 triploid hybrids. The germination of pollen from the triploid hybrids was about one third that of the diploid or tetraploid species (mean values: 9% vs. 26% and 29%). Most triploid plants had a pollen germination of less than 2%. However, some showed exceptionally high pollen fertility (six plants: 11–79%). Microscopic examination revealed normal pollen tube growth and elongation in hybrids with low germination, while other hybrids showed abnormal tube growth. Fluorescence microscopy indicated pollen viability in all ploidy groups, with green autofluorescence from the cytoplasmic contents and red fluorescence from the exine wall. The Aniline test of pollen viability showed that grains with three pores (normal, triporate grains) stained positively, but non-triporate grains were unstained and empty. Germination tests were performed on seeds collected from 246 plants, including 21 triploid hybrids. The germination percentage of seeds from triploid hybrid plants was about 20 times lower than that of the diploid or the tetraploid species (population means: 0–4% vs. 3–41% and 6–54%). The present study shows that triploid birch hybrids are not sterile. Both the paternal and maternal fertility of the hybrids should be sufficient to facilitate gene flow via backcrossing with the parental species.

Decreased production of melon (Cucumis melo L) which is due to constraints in fruit quality decreases due to the ability of fruit formation is naturally low due to a failure in the process of pollination. The success of pollination it self is influenced by the maturity of the male flowers and female flowers itself. Therefore we need a suitable time to perform pollination to see the stigma receptivity and pollen viability at the same level. To overcome these problems need to develop crops melon (Cucumis melo L) through the technique of cultivation is called plant breeding to obtain the production of melon (Cucumis melo L) qualified by determining the time of pollination and crossed with a watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris L). This research is experimental research design using a randomized block design (RAK) 1 factor with 5 treatment combinations and each treatment using 10 replications. The treatment factors are as follows: PA = at 05:00 to 06:00, PB = at 07:00 to 08:00, PC = at 09:00 to 10:00, PD = at 11 : 00 to 12:00 and PE = at 13:00 to 14:00. The data were collected and presented in tables and statistical analysis of test One-Way ANOVA (Analysis Of Variance). If there is a real difference followed by testing of LSD (Least Significant Difference) (p &lt;0.05). Statistical analysis One-Way ANOVA test and LSD show that there is the influence of pollination time on the fruit weight, average fruit diameter and weight of seed resulting from cross-breeding melon (Cucumis melo L) and watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris L). Data show that the PA treatment is the best treatment compared with other treatments. This happens Because the quality of pollen in the morning are of better quality compared to during the day so that pollen powderd in the morning better able to fertilize the pistil to the maximum.

Production of maize hybrid seed is hindered by relatively poor production by the male line pollen; short live of the pollen which was ascribed to desiccation and dehydration sensitive and flowering asynchrony between male and female lines. The aims of this study were to enhance production and viability of male line pollen and also to determine the suitable storage condition for maintaining pollen viability in order to be used for production of hybrid seed. The research consisted of two experiments. The first experiment was arranged in split plot randomized block design with NPK dosages as main plot (0, 300, 600, 900 kg ha-1) and application of boron as sub-plot (0, 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6 kg ha-1), replicated three times. The second experiment used randomized block design with two factors, i.e. storage temperature (-196 oC and -20 oC) and storage period (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks). The result showed that NPK 900 kg ha-1 increased the number of spike per tassel from 9.3 to 10.7. Application of NPK 600 kg ha-1 or boron 1.5 kg ha-1 improved pollen viability. Combination of NPK 900 kg ha-1 and boron 6 kg ha-1 resulted in the highest pollen viability of 95.3%. Pollen after being stored for four weeks either in -196 ºC or -20 ºC was possible to be used for seed production with 20% seed set.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keywords: boron, freezer, liquid nitrogen, NPK dosage, pollen viability &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

The causes of fruit abortion, in eggplants, may be related to the absence of viable pollen under high temperatures, common in the Northeast region of Brazil, resulting in a reduction in the number of fruits per plant and consequently in productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the techniques of identification of PV – pollen viability in eggplant, as well as to correlate these results with the FFI – Fruit Fixation Index, NFP – Number of Fruits per Plant and PP – Production per Plant obtained in cultivation under high temperatures. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, between September and December 2017. The experiment design was a randomized block design with four replications, in the 7 x 4 factorial scheme (7 genotypes x 4 evaluation of PV) containing four plants per experimental plot. The results showed that the different techniques used detected viable pollens in the genotypes evaluated in smaller and in larger proportions. The highest percentages were observed in the treatments with CA – Carmine Acetic and AS – Alexander Solution and these overestimated the PV (&gt;90%). In the test with TTC – 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (25%), the viability estimation was equivalent to the in vitro germination test, however the genetic correlations were null and/or very low between these techniques and the FFI, NFP and PP traits. The genetic correlations between the results obtained with CA and AS with FFI, NFP and PP under conditions of high temperatures were high and positive and suggest that the selection based on PV only, except with the use of TTC solution, may be efficient for indirect selection of genotypes with high FFI, NFP and PP.

A study was conducted at the Fruit Science Laboratory, College of Horticulture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, during the years 2023-24 and 2024-25 to assess pollen viability and in vitro germination in five guava genotypes. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising five treatments with three replications each. Pollen viability an essential parameter in plant breeding for evaluating the functional capacity of male gametes was examined using both the 2% acetocarmine staining technique and in vitro pollen germination methods. The results showed that among the tested guava genotypes, L-49 recorded the highest pollen viability (96.23%), followed by Allahabad Safeda (94.86%) and Lalit (92.99%). In contrast, the highest pollen germination was observed in Lalit (92.23%), followed by Allahabad Safeda (91.59%) and L-49 (87.99%) in the pooled analysis. Based on the findings, L-49 was the best genotype in terms of pollen viability, while Lalit showed the highest germination rate, indicating its superior reproductive potential under in vitro conditions.