Comparative Analysis of Physical and Chemical Mutagenesis in Chrysanthemum cv. 'Candid’: Assessing Genetic Variation and Breeding Potential

[Image: see text] In this study, we developed a mutagenesis protocol specifically designed for chrysanthemum cv. “Candid” in order to introduce genetic variation. By subjecting chrysanthemum shoots to different doses of physical and chemical mutagens, we successfully generated a total of 24 mutants, each with unique genetic compositions. We observed that the mortality rate was lowest when the shoots were exposed to 10 Gy gamma irradiation and 1.00% EMS. To assess the diversity and relatedness among the mutants, we employed RAPD and SSR markers. The combination of these markers allowed us to construct a dendrogram that effectively categorized the mutant population into distinct clusters based on the specific mutagen treatments. Interestingly, the mutants induced by 10 Gy gamma irradiation exhibited greater genetic diversity in terms of flower colors. On the other hand, mutants created with 1.00% EMS displayed a higher level of variation and yielded more viable mutants. To determine the optimal markers for studying genetic diversity, we analyzed the polymorphic information content (PIC) of different markers. Among the tested markers, OPA-07 (RAPD) and JH47 (SSR) showed the highest PIC values, indicating their effectiveness in capturing genetic variability within the mutant population. Conversely, the PIC values of OPD-07 and JH20 demonstrated the lowest among the markers tested. Our results revealed a percentage of polymorphism ranging from 81.81% to 100% for RAPD markers and 66.66% to 100% for SSR markers. These findings indicate that physical mutation induced by 10 Gy gamma irradiation can be clearly distinguished from chemical mutation induced by EMS at concentrations of 1% and 0.75% in chrysanthemum cv. “Candid.″ Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the genetic composition of the generated mutants and highlights their potential for enhancing chrysanthemum-breeding programs. The identified markers, particularly, OPA-07 and JH47, can serve as valuable tools for future studies aimed at exploring and exploiting the genetic diversity within the chrysanthemum population.