Assessment of Somatic Mutagenic Effects on Different Black Gram Varieties by Chemical Mutagen Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS)
K. Mohana Sundaram
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
V. R. Senthamizhkumaran *
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural chemistry, PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
R. Senthil Raj
Department of Seed Science and Technology, Imayam Institute of Agriculture and Technology, Kannanur, Tamil Nadu, India.
T. Ilavarasan
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Jeeva
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
V. Jegathbabu
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Ragunathan
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
T. Sasthika
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Sri Janani
Department of Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.), PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper], a nutritionally rich pulse crop, suffers from narrow genetic variability due to its cleistogamous nature, limiting conventional breeding progress. Induced mutagenesis using chemical mutagens offers a viable approach to generate novel genetic variability. This study evaluated the somatic mutagenic effects of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS) at five concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%) on two black gram varieties, VBN 8 and VBN 10, using germination towel and pro-tray methods. Parameters assessed included germination percentage, root length, shoot length, germination index, and chlorophyll content. Results demonstrated a significant dose-dependent reduction in all growth parameters with increasing EMS concentration in both varieties and methods. In the germination towel method, VBN 8 showed germination percentages ranging from 72.5% (0.1%) to 60.0% (0.5%), while VBN 10 exhibited a sharper decline from 72.5% to 47.5%. Root length reduction reached 66.81% in VBN 8 and 65.21% in VBN 10 at 0.5% EMS. Similarly, shoot length reduction was more pronounced in VBN 8 (73.5%) compared to VBN 10 (22.16%) at the highest dose. The LD50 was projected at approximately 0.4–0.5% EMS for both varieties. Chlorophyll content exhibited irregular variation, suggesting differential mutagenic sensitivity between genotypes. These findings establish the baseline mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of EMS for future M₂ generation screening programs aimed at developing improved black gram genotypes with enhanced yield, quality, and stress tolerance. The present investigation comprehensively established the dose-dependent somatic mutagenic effects of EMS on two elite black gram varieties, VBN 8 and VBN 10, under both germination towel and pro-tray conditions.
Keywords: Vigna mungo, ethyl methane sulfonate, LD50, somatic effects, germination.