Ray florets color and shape mutants induced by C ion beam irradiation in chrysanthemum

Ion beam irradiation is attracting attention in floriculture as a means of inducing mutations. We investigated the effect of ion beam irradiation on induction of ray florets color/shape mutants from two strains of chrysanthemum to create new flower cultivars. The ray florets and leaf explants of chrysanthemum cultivars, ‘Shiroyamate’ and ‘H13’, respectively, cultured on MS medium were irradiated with ¹²C⁵⁺ ion beam at doses of 1, 2, 4 and 8Gy. The frequency of shoot primordia formation on ray florets explants of ‘Shiroyamate’ and shoot bud formation on leaf explants of ‘H13’ was decreased by 8Gy and 4Gy irradiation, respectively. The effective dose of ion beam was less than 4Gy in ‘Shiroyamate’ and less than 2Gy in ‘H13’. After exposure to an effective dose of ion beam, regenerated plants were grown in a green-house and the field. Yellow ray florets mutants from ‘Shiroyamate’, and various ray florets color mutants (dark-red, light red, pink, pink spray) and a flower shape mutant (double-ray florets) from ‘H13’ were induced by ion beam irradiation. Furthermore, a white mutant was obtained from a chimeric mutant. These results suggest that the combination of ion beam irradiation and tissue culture would be an effective means of generation mutants at a high efficiency.