Induction of salt-tolerant potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) mutants with gamma irradiation and characterization of genetic variations via RAPD-PCR analysis

Abstract

Salt-tolerant mutants of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. 'Marfona') were obtained via gamma irradiation. Node explants of the Marfona potato plant were treated with various dosages of gamma irradiation, and the M1V2 and M1V3 clonal generations were developed. Selection of salt-tolerant mutants was accomplished by in vitro selection media containing 50, 100, and 125 mM NaCl. Molecular-level differences between the control and mutant plants were elucidated using RAPD-PCR method, and the polymorphism rate according to the selected primers was calculated as 89.66%. Genetic distances between the controls and mutants were also calculated, and related dendrograms were produced. On average the mutants were genetically 27.5% different from the control plants. The greatest difference encountered between the control and mutants was 47%, which was detected in mutant plants produced by 20 or 30 Gy gamma irradiation and regenerated in selection medium containing 100 mM NaCl.