CHARACTERIZATION OF MUTANT TUBEROSE LINES INDUCED BY GAMMA RAYS AND EMS IN WESTERN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA.

The floriculture industry is experiencing rapid growth, expanding annually at 10-15%. Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa Linn.), a perennial bulbous flowering plant from the Asparagaceae family, holds significant economic value due to its use in cut flowers, garlands, and the extraction of high-value essential oils. Despite its commercial importance, tuberose faces challenges in genetic improvement due to limited genetic variability, self-incompatibility, and seed sterility. Traditional breeding methods are thus constrained. Mutation breeding, utilizing ionizing radiation and chemical mutagens such as Ethyl-methanesulphonate (EMS), offers a potential solution by inducing genetic variability. This study investigates the effects of gamma rays and EMS on tuberose variety Single Mexican to enhance its growth and floral characteristics. Twelve bulbs per treatment were exposed to varying doses of EMS (0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%) and gamma rays (5 Gy, 10 Gy, 15 Gy, 20 Gy), with controls for each mutagen. The bulbs were grown in a Randomized Block Design over two growing seasons (2022-2023, 2023-2024) at the Horticulture Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, India. Parameters such as days to bulb sprouting, survival percentage at 30 days, plant height at 60 days, leaf number, leaf length, days to first flower, spike number and length, rachis length, floret number, diameter, and weight were recorded. Results showed that lower doses of gamma rays (5 Gy) and EMS (0.25%) significantly improved these traits, while higher doses had adverse effects. These findings suggest that controlled application of lower doses of gamma rays and EMS can effectively enhance the growth and ornamental quality of tuberose, offering a valuable approach for its genetic improvement in floriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]