CHAPTER 5 : MUTATION

NOOR ZUHAIRAH SAMSUDDIN

AT THE END OF THIS LECTURE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO

1. Define mutation and mutagenesis.

2. Discuss mutagenic agents.
3. Discuss the steps in a mutation breeding program.
4. Discuss the role and limitations of mutation breeding.
Mutation plant breeding
Continue of History
Continue of History
WHAT IS MUTATION BREEDING?
 Mutation is the change in genetic material or a random change in gene or
chromosome resulting in a new trait.
 Mutation breeding was first initiated by L.J.Stadler in 1928 in plants for the
purpose of crop improvement.
 Two types of mutation : spontaneous and induced mutations

 The utilisation of induced mutation for crop improvement is known as

mutation breeding.
 Mutation can be induced artificially by
a) physical agents :x-rays,uv rays etc.
b)chemical agents : nitrous acid,malic hydrazine,EMS etc.
 The agents used for producing them are termed as mutagens
Common physical mutagens
 Induced mutation are of two types:
 Macromutation
 Micromutation
 A macromutation produces a large phenotypic effect recognizable on
individual plants.

 In contrast, a micromutation has small phenotypic effect that cannot

be recognised on individual plants.
TYPES OF MUTATION
Based on:

DIRECTION - 1)Forward 2)Reverse Mutation

TISSUE - 1)Somatic 2)Germinal

SITES - 1)Nuclear 2)Cytoplasmic mutations

CHARACTER- 1)Morphological 2)Biochemical

VISIBILITY - 1)Macromutation 2)Micromutation

SOURCE - 1)Spontaneous 2)Induced

INDUCED MUTATION BY RADIATIONS
 Electromagnetic waves travelling at a high speed through a space is called
radiations or rays

 The treatment of plant materials with physical radiations to induce mutations is

called irradiation.

 Irradiation method of plant breeding is also known as radiation breeding.

 The radiation used in plant breeding are of two types:

- ionizing radiations

-Non- ionizing radiations

IONISING RADIATION
Radiations that on striking, converts the atom into ions are called ionising
radiations.
Sl. Type of Main Properties Mode of action or changes caused
no radiation
1 X-rays Penetrating and non Induce mutation by forming free
particulate radicals and ions . cause addition ,
deletion and transition.
2 Gamma rays Very penetrating and non Induce mutations by ejecting atoms
particulate from the tissues . cause addition
,deletion and transitions
3 Alpha Particulate ,less penetrating Act by ionisation and excitation.
particles and positively charged. Cause chromosomal and gene
mutation.
4 Fast and Particulate ,neutral particles Cause chromosomal breakage and
thermal ,highly penetrating. gene mutations.
neutrons
5 UV rays Non ionizing and low Cause chromosomal breakage and
penetrating. gene mutations.
 STEPS IN MUTATION BREEDING
 Objectives of programme
 Selection of variety
 Plant part treated
 Dose of mutagen(LD 50)
"Lethal Dose, 50%" or median lethal dose. It is the amount
of the substance required (usually per body weight) to kill 50% of the
test population
 Giving mutagen treatment:
- irradiation- immediately planted to raise M1
-chemicals - seeds are presoaked and exposed to desired mutagen.
 Handling of mutagen treated population.
 Yield trials
 Release of a variety
PROCEDURE OF MUTATION BREEDING
 Treating a biological material with a mutagen in order to induce mutations is known as
mutagenesis.

Mutation breeding process consists of following steps:

1)Objective of programme: it should have well defined and clear cut objectives
2)Choice of material: The best adopted variety of a crop should be chosen for
mutagenesis, because such variety has all acceptable agronomic features.
3)Plant part to be treated :
 seeds, pollen,vegetative propagules, sometimes complete plant as treated with
mutagen.
 The selection of plant part varies with crop plant.

 Seeds are the best part in sexually propagating plants.

4) Dose of mutagen:
• The mutagen treatment reduces germination,growth rate and fertility of organism.

• Damages increases with increase in the dose mutagen and duration of exposure.

• Optimum dose of mutagen is expressed as LD50.

• LD50 refers to a dose of mutagen that kills 50% of the treated individuals .

• The dose of treatment depends on the intensity of radiations or concentration of chemical mutagens.

• An optimum dose is the one which produces the maximum frequency of mutations and cause minimum
killing.

• Dose close to LD50 should be the optimum.

5)GIVING MUTAGEN TRATMENT:

- X-ray irradiation is given in X-ray room.

- Gamma ray irradiation is given in gamma garden.

- Neutron treatment is given from neutron flush coming from generator.

- Beta rays treatment is given in the Radioisotope Laboratories.

X- ray machine

Neutron generator
6) Handling of mutagen treated population

• Treatment of seeds and vegetative propagules commonly produces chimeras

• A chimera is an individual with one genotype in some of its parts and another

genotype in the others.

• One or more clonal or sexual generations with selection are necessary for stable mutant

phenotype.

• Mutant alleles are generally recessive. Dominant mutation can occur , however, the

chance of dominant mutation is very less.

Chimeric plant
Steps involved in irradiation of plant breeding
Targeting-induced local lesions in
genomes (TILLING)
 is a powerful reverse-genetic strategy that employs a mismatch-
specific endonuclease (an enzyme that identifies a mismatch and cuts
the double-stranded DNA at this specific site)
 to detect induced or natural DNA polymorphisms.
 allows the rapid and cost-effective detection of induced point
mutations in populations of chemically mutagenized individuals.
ADVANTAGES OF MUTATION BREEDING
 Artificial mutations induce sufficient variability in plants to induce improved
crop varieties.

 Mutation breeding takes less time than conventional breeding methods.

 It needs minimum land and labour to produce improved varieties.

 Mutation breeding can be adopted for self pollinated ,cross pollinated and
vegetatively propagated crops.

 Improve morphological , physiological characters, disease resistance and

quantitative characters including yielding ability.
Development of Japanese pear mutants resistant to black spot disease using chronic gamma irradiation coupled
with screening for colour change in leaf discs treated with AK toxin [55, 56].
(a) The disease susceptible leaves change to black and resistant material stay green when incubated with AK toxin;
(b) diseased fruit;
(c) fruit from a resistant cultivar.

Courtesy of Dr Terutaka Yoshioka, Head of Mutation Breeding Laboratory, Institute of Radiation Breeding (IRB), National
Institute of Agrobiological Science, Japan
LIMINATIONS OF MUTATION BREEDING

 Frequency of desirable mutations is very low.

 Only a few institutions have the facilities to conduct mutation breeding.

 For each and every step of mutation breeding financial assistance of the
Government is necessary.

 Identification of micro mutation is difficult.

 Pleiotropic effect (one gene expressing two or more unrelated effects).

REFERENCES
 Shukla,R.S., Chandel,P.S. 1974.CYTOGENETICS EVOLUTION AND PLANT

BREEDING . S Chand and Company Ltd.

 Sasidharan,A., Valsalakumar,N. 1989. A TEXTBOOK OF BOTANY.Vidyarthi

mithram press and book dept.Kottayam.

 Singh,B.D.1999.PLANT BREEDING PRINCIPLES AND

METHODS.kalyani publishers,New delhi.

 Kumerasan,V.2014.HORTICULTURE AND PLANT BREEDING.Saras

publication.Nagercoil.
Thank You ..