Analysis of EMS and 60Co-γ mutagenesis of Dianthus spiculifolius seeds

In order to develop new varieties of Dianthus spiculifolius, we mutagenized seeds using EMS and 60Co-γ rays. Treatment of seeds for 16 h with 1% EMS, close to the half-lethal dose, resulted in a mutation rate of 7.0%. Seeds treated with 300 Gy 60Co-γ rays (dose rate 0.1 Gy·min-1, close to the half-lethal dose, resulted in a mutation rate of 4.2%. We obtained 1 038 phenotypic mutants in the M1 generation, of which 95 were derived from seeds treated with EMS, and 943 were obtained following irradiation of the seeds. This study has enriched the germplasm resources of D. spiculifolius and has provided a technical reference for the mutagenesis of other Dianthus species.