Effect of gamma rays induced mutagenesis on the agronomical and biochemical traits of acid lime

One of the indigenous citrus crops of India is acid lime, which has a high economic value and unique flavour compared to other citrus fruits. The current study was intended to ascertain the gamma ray dosage that proves lethal for the acid lime variety PKM1. The acid lime seeds were exposed to nine distinct gamma radiation dosages ranging from 5 to 45 Gy with an interval of 5 Gy and compared to untreated control. Different irradiation doses demonstrated substantial differences in morphological and biochemical traits. Increased dosage of gamma radiation leads to significant changes in various agronomic parameters of plant germination, number of plants, plant height, and change in biochemical traits. Various gamma radiation doses revealed a low survival rate after 35 Gy, with LD 50 at 27.86 Gy.