Effect of y—Ray intensities on the rate of mutation of caladium (Caladium bicolor) and amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna)

Caladium (Caladium bicolor) and amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna) are the examples of the plants that reproduce themselves asexually. Caladium propagates itself through the corms, while amaryllis propagates through the bulbs. In order to diverse and improve the types of the ornamental plants, one of the breeding programmes that can be applied is induction of mutation by using gamma rays. Gamma rays have been economically and effectively proved compared to other ionizing radiations because of its availability and its power of penetration. Therefore, the objectives of the research were (i) to determine the effective dose of gamma irradiation on the mortality and the rate of mutation of caladium and amaryllis and (ii) to study the effect of gamma rays on the growth and characteristics of the mutated plants. Gamma irradiation of caladium and amaryllis was performed with a 60 Co source at Malaysian Nuclear Agency at Bangi, Selangor. The bulbs of amaryllis and the corms of caladium were treated with 20 Gy, 40 Gy, 60 Gy, 80 Gy and 100 Gy doses of irradiation. The performance of the rate survival of plant, plant height, and numbers of leaves, area and also width of the leaves were observed for thirteen weeks. The experimental design consisted of completely randomized (CRD) of six levels of treatment with three repetitions composed of one hundred and eighty plants. After thirteen weeks, the averages of the variables were assessed and compared by utilizing One-Way ANOVA. Doses 60 Gy and 40 Gy were observed to be the most effective dose for the mutation characteristics assessed of caladium and amaryllis.