Fraser Photinia shoot explantation in vitro: Effects of two distinct gamma- ray sources and identification of the optimal mutation dose

Because of its beautiful qualities and ability to withstand harsh conditions, Fraser photinia (Photinia × fraseri cv. Red Robin) is frequently used as an ornamental plant in garden designs. The efforts to create new, highly marketable variations of the species have begun to increase in response to the growing ability of the current kinds to adapt to changing climatic circumstances. For this species, which is susceptible to in vitro propagation, the in vitro mutation breeding technique holds significant promise for increasing the current variety. It is essential to ascertain whether ionizing gamma ray sources are suitable for in vitro mutation investigations on Fraser photinia. To achieve this, in vitro shoot explants were exposed to a total of thirteen different radiation doses using 60Co (dosage rate: 235 Gy/h) and 137Cs (dosage rate: 821 Gy/h) gamma ray sources. The number of leaves and shoot length in in vitro plantlets were assessed thirty days after irradiation, and linear regression analysis was used to get the effective mutation dose (EMD50) values. Based on the quantity of leaves, the EMD50 for the 137Cs source ray application was 60.34 Gy, whereas the 60Co source resulted in an EMD50 of 80.88 Gy. These findings demonstrated that the EMD50 difference was significantly impacted by the source power, irradiation duration, and the influence produced by the linear energy transfer value of the irradiation during tissue penetration.<br>