The effect of chemical mutagens upon morphological characters of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in M0 generation

The effect of chemical mutagens like ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), sodium azide (SA) and colchicines in different concentrations upon the morphological characters of ginger (Zingiber officinale) was studied. Wide genetic variation is needed in plant breeding in order to search ideal plant types during the process of selection. Induced mutations and various biotechnological tools continue to be in great demand to create the variations and screen the mutants respectively. To study the effect of chemical mutagens three wild and indigenous varieties of ginger in India namely Bidar, Himachal and Humnabad were used. The three months plants of the mutant varieties were studied with respect to various growth parameters like survival percentage, sprouting percentage, plant height, number of tillers, etc. The data collected was analyzed and significant variations were observed in the growth parameters between the mutant and wild varieties. It was found that the treatment with chemical mutagens had significant effect on all the growth parameters. � Global Science Publications.