Effect of different colchicine concentrations on the morphology of physic nut (jatropha curcas l.)

Abstract

Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas L.) was a narrow genetic based plant, resulting in low productivity. Colchicine application was a mutation technique that could induce genetic variability for plant improvement. In this study the 24 hour soaked physic nut seeds and the 3 – day physic nut seedlings were treated with 0, 0.05, 0.15 and 0.20% of colchicine for 48 hours and there were soaked for 24 hours to induce polyploidy. The results showed that the survival rates were 67.15 and 93.93 % at the 0.05% of colchicine. DNA content in the survived seedlings was detected by flow cytometry. The number of tetraploid and mixoploid were increased in the 3-day seedlings treated with 0.05% of colchicine. The morphology characteristics at the first flowering stage were follows; the diploid had average height, branch numbers, spikelets per head, ratio of male and female flowes, leaf size (W x L) and stomata size (W x H) were 249.50 cm., 15.7, 214.7, 24.8 :1, 14.8 x 13.2 cms and 7.88 x 50.25 micrometers respectively, while the mutant had the average of 180.6 - 21.54 cm. 9.8 - 13.0, 37.9 - 17.53, 19.3 : 1, 42.8 : 1, 17.0 - 14.4 cms and 61.0 - 70.5 x 103.33 - 116.1 micrometers respectively. so The mutant had better characteristics, but their fruits could not mature.