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Effect of X-ray Irradiation on Maize Inbred Line B73 Tissue Cultures and Regenerated Plants

Cell Biology Div., Sungene Technologies Corp., 2050 Concourse Dr., San Jose, CA 95131;

T. C. Yang

Lawrence Berkeley Lab., Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.

^* Corresponding author.

In order to enhance variation induced by the tissue culture process and to obtain agronomically desirable mutants, friable embryogenic tissue cultures of maize (Zea mays L.) inbred line B73 were x-ray irradiated with 11 doses [0–8.4 kilorads (kR)]. Reductions in callus growth rate and embryogenic callus formation occurred with increasing x-ray doses 20 d and 3 months (90 d) after irradiation. Callus irradiated with 0.8 kR showed a significant increase in growth rate and a 20% increase in embryogenic callus 9 months (270 d) after irradiation. A total of 230 R₀ plants were regenerated for evaluation. Pollen fertility and seed set of R₀ plants decreased with increasing x-ray dosage. Days to anthesis and plant height of R₀ plants varied among x-ray treatments but were generally reduced with higher dosages. The number of chromosomal aberrations increased with x-ray dosage. The R₁ seeds taken from R₀ plants were also grown and tested for mutant segregation. Plants regenerated from irradiated calli had a two- to 10-fold increase in mutations over plants regenerated from unirradiated control callus. Germination frequency of seeds from R₀ plants decreased with increasing x-ray dosage. Although chlorophyll mutants were most frequently observed, a number of vigorous plants with earlier anthesis date were also recovered.

Key Words: Corn • Tissue culture • X-ray • Mutation • Chromosomal aberrations • Zea mays (L.)

Received for publication April 13, 1987.