ENHANCING THE TOLERANCE OF FENNEL PLANT TO SALINITY STRESS USING GAMMA RAYS AND LASER AND EVALUATING THE MUTATIONS BY ISSR AND RAPD MARKERS

Salinity causes a decrease in plant growth and productivity, and the problem of salinity increases with the worsening impact of climate change. This work aimed to study the effect of the physical mutants, laser and gamma rays, on the vegetative growth, yield and chemical constituents of Foeniculum vulgare plants grown under salinity stress condition, and their ability in inducing salt tolerant mutant. Fennel seeds were irradiated with gamma rays (10 and 20 Kr) and laser (720 and 850 nm). Plants irrigated with saline water at 238 ppm as control plant, 2000 and 4000 ppm. Both radiation types especially gamma rays at 20 and laser at 720 and 850 nm increased plant growth when irrigated with 2000 or 4000 ppm saline water. Two plants were found with better growth under irrigation with 2000 ppm saline water, one was obtained from the treatment of 20 Kr gamma rays and the other from 850 nm laser rays. ISSR and RAPD markers distinguish the two mutants from control. Mutant 2 was more genetically distinct from the control plant.