BEIJING, CHINA
Beijing Agricultural University

Chemical mutagenesis of y1 mutants in corn
--Zhao, YL; Song, TM; Ma, HP

Paraffin oil with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was used for treating mature pollen of corn inbred line Huangzao 4, and an allele test of white endosperm mutants from M2 with y1 gene stock was made to verify whether new mutants were allelic to the y1 gene. The results are summarized in the following table.

From 1896 EMS treated M2 ears 97 y1 mutants were found. The average y1 mutation rate was 5.11% under 9 different EMS treatment levels. No y1 mutants were found among the 288 non-EMS treated M2 ears under paraffin oil and no treatment. 0.167% EMS in paraffin oil was the most effective in inducing y1 mutants. At this concentration, 80 y1 mutants were found among 532 M2 ears, and the induced mutation rate was 15.04%. The second was 0.111% EMS level, with induced mutation rate of 5.26%. The mutation rates of 0.100%, 0.091% and 0.083% EMS treatment were 1.20%, 0.45% and 0.47%, respectively. It was obvious that induced mutation rates of the y1 gene greatly varied with the different EMS treatment concentrations, and mutation rates, in general, increased geometrically with the increase of EMS levels to some extent. 0.167% EMS in paraffin oil could be used as a recommendation for inducing y1 mutants.

Table 1. Mutation rates of the y1 gene under different EMS levels.
 
EMS treat. levels(%) M2 ear no. Mutant no. Induced mutation rate(%)
0.250 9 0 0
0.200 19 0 0
0.167 532 80 15.04
0.143 68 0 0
0.125 289 0 0
0.111 209 11 5.26
0.100 334 4 1.20
0.091 223 1 0.45
0.083 214 1 0.47
       
Total of EMS treat. 1896 9 5.11
       
Paraffin oil 238 0 0
No treat. 50 0 0
       
Total of non-EMS treat. 288 0 0

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