Effects of EMS Mutagenesis on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Pomegranate

GAO Xiaofeng; ZHANG Qiuyue; ZHOU Xiaojing; ZUO Weifang; HUANG Rantao; GUO Shuangshuang; YUAN Chaozheng; ZHENG Mingyan

doi:10.15933/j.cnki.1004-3268.2025.08.013

Abstract：This study investigated the mutagenesis effect of ethyl mesylate(EMS)on pomegranate seeds,and determined the appropriate mutagenesis dose for germplasm innovation of pomegranate seeds,to explore new techniques and methods for the breeding of new varieties of pomegranate.Pomegranate seeds were treated with EMS solutions of five different mass fractions(0,0.2%,0.4%,0.6%,0.8%),and the germination time,germination potential,germination rate,emergence rate,seedling formation rate,phenotypic variance,phenotypic variation rate and other indicators were measured,and the seedling height,ground diameter,root length,root number and other morphological indicators were measured.Physiological and biochemical indexes such as superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,peroxidase(POD)activity,catalase(CAT)activity and ascorbate peroxidase(APX)activity were detected in the leaves of seedlings.The results showed that,after EMS treatment,the germination time of seeds was delayed,and the higher the concentration,the more the delay.The germination potential and germination rate of seeds were increased slightly after 0.2%treatment,and the other three treatments were significantly decreased,and the higher the concentration,the more the decrease.The seedling success rate gradually decreased with the increase of EMS mass fraction,reaching a minimum of 11.67%at 0.8%.The variation rate gradually increased with the increase of EMS mass fraction,reaching a maximum of 5.34%at 0.8%.The average plant height and average root length of seedlings were decreased,except for a slight increase after 0.2%treatment.The average ground diameter of seedlings was decreased,and the higher the concentration was,the greater the decrease was.The average root number of seedlings was decreased by the other three treatments except for 0.2%treatment,which had no change,and the higher the concentration was,the greater the decrease was.The activities of SOD,POD,CAT and APX in the leaves of seedlings were increased,and with the increase of the concentration,the increase amplitude showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing,and gradually increased with the increase of concentration in 0.2%—0.6%,and the increase amplitude decreased significantly at 0.8%.EMS generally showed an inhibitory effect on the germination of pomegranate seeds and the growth of seedlings,and EMS with an appropriate mass fraction could enhance the stress resistance of plants.Considering the seedling formation rate,variation rate,physiological and biochemical indexes,the optimal EMS mutagenesis dose for pomegranate seeds ranges from half lethal dose(LD50)to critical dose(LD40),that is 0.54%—0.63%.