Biological effects of 7lithium (7LI) IOn beam radiation on mutation induction in capsicum annuum L

Lithium-7 (7Li) ion beam radiation is an effective method for inducing mutations in plants. In this study, the effects of 7Li ion beam radiation on mutation induction in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) were evaluated. The germination rates of irradiated seeds, survival rates of M1 plants and mutation frequencies of M2 plants were statistically analyzed. The results showed that these characteristics were all affected by radiation. A radiation dose of 60 Gy was the balance point between the survival rate of M1 plants and mutation rate of M2 plants, indicating that 60 Gy was a good choice for 7Li ion beam radiation applications in breeding. Sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) analysis of select M2 plants indicated that radiation caused changes in the DNA. Observations of mutant morphology showed that useful mutants were generated from M2 plants. These results provide both a basis for the application of ion beam radiation in breeding and useful materials for studies of gene function. (author)