Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of EMS, DES and gamma-rays in rice

Data on chlorophyll mutation frequency after treatment with EMS, DES and gamma-rays and sequential administration of gamma-rays and the two alkylating agents in three varieties of rice have been used to work out quantitatively the effectiveness and efficiency of each mutagen and combination treatment. For effectiveness, the order is EMS > DES and for efficiency it is EMS > DES > gamma-rays. In some sequential treatments (Gamma-rays + DES in 'IR8' and 'Basmati'; DES + gamma-rays in 'IR8' and 'Jhona'; Gamma-rays + EMS in 'IR8' and 'Basmati'; and EMS + gamma-rays in 'IR8', 'Jhona' and 'Basmati') mutation frequency is more than additive (synergistic) but these treatments are decisively less efficient because of their relatively high injurious effects in the M1. generation. EMS induces more albinas than gamma-rays do. The mutational spectrum patterns induced by gamma-rays and DES are alike. In general, combination treatments tend to increase the frequency of albinas over other types of chlorophyll mutants.