A comparison of mutagenic potential of Aji-no-Moto with a traditional chemical mutagen on microsporogenesis in barley (Hordeum vulagre L.)

Aji-no-Moto or Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer being used extensively in South East Asian cuisine. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that MSG is safe when "eaten at customary levels" but there is still great confusion regarding its toxicity at higher concentrations. Therefore, it was decided to assess the mutagenic efficacy of MSG on a plant system and present the findings as a model for probably similar effects in the animal model. For this, a traditionally popular genus for genetic studies, Hordeum vulgare L. or winter barley, was used as the model system. The studies of microsporogenesis were done in order to see the long term effect. The sets were compared with experimental sets of plants grown from seeds treated with a traditional chemical mutagen Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS). The study revealed that MSG does not induce much genotoxic effects at lower doses and the chromosomal damages induced were very few. However, at higher doses, it almost equals the effects of EMS in terms of heritable genetic damage. The work is significant as MSG continues to be one of the most popular flavouring agents and does not face any challenge to its biosafe status. However, the clastogenic and chromotoxic effects of higher doses of MSG as observed in the study are in total contradiction to the popular belief.

An Alternative to Increase Accumulation of Phenolic Compound in Grapevine Callus Cultures: Chemical Mutagen Applications

This research was carried out to investigate the effects of chemical mutagen applications on producing phenolic compounds in calli obtained from leaf petiole explants of the Royal grape variety.Petioles were cultured in B5 medium containing 0.5 mg/L benzyl amino purine and 0.5 mg/L indole acetic acid to obtain callus. Calli obtained during the period following planting were subcultured in the same culture conditions three times at one month intervals. In the fourth subculture, the calli were transferred to nutrient mediums with the same composition containing ethyl methanesulfonate, sodium azide, azacitidine and acridine orange in three different doses, 0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, and 2.0 mM, and cultured in these mediums for 60, 120 and 180 minutes. Then, they were cultured again for four weeks in mutagen-free nutrient mediums with the same content as their previous mediums. At the end of this period, calli were taken from their nutrient medium, and total phenolic compound, total flavanol, total flavonol and anthocyanin analyzes were performed.As a result of the research, it has been determined that all mutagens applied are effective in increasing the production of phenolic compounds depending on the dose and time.

Effect of Chemical Mutagen on Yield and Yield Attributing Traits in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

An experimental trail was conducted to differentiate the effect of sodium azide on yield and its attributes of chickpea. Overnight pre-soaked fresh seeds of ADBG-1, ICC-3020, ICCV-15112 genotypes were treated with various treatments of sodium azide (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08% & control) for 06 hrs for the purpose of induction of mutation. The effect of sodium azide with unlike concentrations on yield and its attributing characters were studied in M1 generation of chickpea. Both laboratory readings and quantitative traits were recorded during experimentation. From the result, it was observed that all the laboratory readings exhibited reduction in their values upon increasing the concentrations of mutagen when compared to the control which was not treated. Whereas the efficacy of sodium azide on the average mean performance of quantitative traits on 03 chickpea genotypes exhibited that ICCV-15112 (0.04% SA) had higher seed yield and their attributing traits are Plant height, no. of secondary branches, biological yield and seed index.

Mutation Effect of Chemical Mutagen Ethymthane sulfonate (EMS) on Some Local Yeasts

Thirty samples of orange juice were collected from local markets in Mosul / Iraq. Isolates were diagnosed after performing phenotypic, culture and biochemical tests. The results showed that the yeasts belong to the following species: Rhodotorula rubra 36%, Trichosporon asahii 16%, Cryptococcus laurentii 28%, and Candida tropicalis 20%. The susceptibility of isolates to six antibiotics Candizole (Cd), Clotrimazole (Ct), Fluconazole (Fc), Ketoconazole (Kc), Lamisil (Ls), and Nystatin (Nys) was studied. The results of the sensitivity test showed that R. rubra was resistant to all antibiotics used except for Lamisil (Ls). The rest of the yeasts varied among themselves in their resist antibiotics. The chemical mutagen Ethyl Methanesulfate (EMS) at a concentration of 0.2 mg / ml on the vitality of the yeasts showed that the highest effect in the yeast Crypto. laurentii, with the killing severity reaching 4.47% while the lowest effected yeast was Tricho. asahii, with killing severity reaching 72%.

IMPROVEMENT OF COTTON YIELD AND FIBER QUALITY PARAMETERS IN UPLAND COTTON (GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM L.) GENOTYPES THROUGH CHEMICAL MUTAGEN

Eight mutant lines developed through mutation breeding technique using chemical mutagen along with parent line (Sadori) were evaluated at NIA, experimental farm. Quantitative and qualitative traits were analyzed statistically. The chemical mutagen Ethyle Methane Sulphonate (EMS) was used at the rate of 0.03%. The mutant lines (viz. NIA-M5, NIA-M10, NIA-M16, NIA-M20, NIA-M23, NIA-M29, NIA-M33 and NIA-M35) with parent Sadori were included in this study. The results revealed that three mutants (NIA-M20, NIA-M35 and NIA-M5) took (7.2%, 8.1% and 8.1%) higher plant height than parent (111 cm), two mutants (NIA-M5 and NIA-M20) obtained (36.8% and 42.1%) more sympodial branches plant-1 than parent (19.0). Three mutants (NIA-M20, NIA-M5 and NIA-M10) produced (16.8%, 22.4.0% and 25.4%) more number of bolls plant-1 than parental line (67.0). Five mutants (NIA-M5, NIA-M35, NIA-M20, NIA-M23 and NIA-M29) had higher fiber length (mm) (10.2%, 8%, 5.7%, 5% and 4.0%) as compared parent Sadori (28.0 mm). Two mutants (NIA-M20 and NIA-M29) showed higher fiber strength (g/tex) (5.5% and 8.3%) than parent (34.4%). Two mutants (NIA-M5 and NIA-M20) produced higher seed-cotton yield kg ha-1 (24.0% and 25.4%) over parent Sadori (3563 kg ha-1). The selected mutant lines on the basis of higher seed-cotton yield (kg ha-1) and enhanced fiber length (mm) compared to parent (Sadori) will be promoted in preliminary yield trials. Heritability and genetic advance were noted for early days to maturity, higher plant height (cm), sympodial branches plant-1, lengthy fiber (mm), bolls plant-1 and seed-cotton yield (kg ha-1).