DEVELOPMENT OF MUTANT FORMS OF AGRIOPHYLLUM SQUARROSUM (L.) MOQ. VIA EMS MUTAGENESIS FOR DOMESTICATION IN ARID ENVIRONMENTS

Agriophyllum squarrosum (L.) Moq. is a drought-tolerant psammophytic species with high potential for domestication in arid regions; however, its agricultural use is limited by unfavorable traits such as small seed size and unstable productivity. This study aimed to develop an effective method for inducing genetic variability using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and to evaluate resulting mutant forms. Seeds were treated with 0.3% EMS for 18 h, followed by washing, drying, and cultivation under controlled and field conditions. Phenotypic assessment was conducted in the M₂ generation. EMS treatment resulted in viable mutant populations with increased phenotypic diversity. Compared to wild forms, mutant lines showed significant increases in plant height and bush width. Seed traits were improved: seed length increased from 2.4 to 2.8 mm, seed width from 1.8 to 2.0 mm, and thousand seed weight from 1.83 to 2.17 g. Morphological variation was also observed in plant architecture and leaf traits. The results confirm that EMS mutagenesis is an effective tool for expanding genetic diversity in A. squarrosum. The identified mutant forms represent promising material for further selection and support the potential domestication of this species for cultivation in arid environments.

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