LAUSR

Abstract Purpose Sugarcane is an important cash crop and is affected by soil salinity. CoM 0265, a moderately salt-tolerant variety grown in the Maharashtra region (India), has low sugar content. The present study was aimed to employ gamma ray induced in vitro mutagenesis with repeated and step-wise selection in sugarcane for the isolation and physio-biochemical profiling of the selected salt-tolerant mutants for improved agronomic performance and sugar content. Materials and methods Embryogenic callus culture of CoM 0265 variety was subjected to different doses of gamma radiation (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 Gy) followed by selection on NaCl containing media (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mM NaCl). The regenerated plantlets were hardened and selected based on ground nursery field trial on normal soil and saline field trial, in augmented block design for the selected mutant clones. Different physio-biochemical changes and activity of antioxidant enzymes were analyzed in the salt selected in vitro cultures and field-grown mutant clones. Results Dose optimization showed 40 Gy as the LD50 for gamma radiation and 150 mM NaCl as the dose for in vitro selection experiments. The selected mutant clones showed higher tissue water content (TWC), chlorophyll, and lower sodium content indicative of tolerance to salt stress. Catalase and peroxidase enzyme activities in the top visible dewlap (TVD) of the putative mutant clones were significantly higher than the control. The average yield and sucrose percent of the selected mutant clones were significantly higher than control checks in the saline field trial. Mutant clones M8457 and M8721 exhibited improved yield and commercial cane sugar over the parent control check varieties under saline field conditions. Catalase activity was strongly associated with TWC (r = 0.34) and chlorophyll content (r = 0.41) while it was negatively correlated with sodium ion content (r = –0.38). Peroxidase activity in TVD also showed a significant positive correlation with chlorophyll content (r = 0.42) and a negative correlation with sodium ion content (r=–0.39). The improvement in yield and CCS (t/ha) was strongly associated with the lower sodium ion content of the mutant clones (r=–0.54 and −0.53, respectively). Conclusions Gamma ray induced mutants were isolated for improved sucrose and high yield in sugarcane var. CoM 0265. The results suggest that gamma radiation induced mutations result in physiological and metabolomic alterations for better growth and adaptation under in vitro and field stress conditions in sugarcane. The improved mutants can be further useful for commercial cultivation in saline areas.