Effect of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) on Mutation of Gloxinia (<I>Sinningia speciosa</I>)

Abstract

In this study, in vitro leaf explants of gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) were treated with UV-C irradiation at dose 0-9 kJ/m², followed by culturing on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l indole acetic acid (IAA) and 5.0 mg/l kinetin (KN) for multiple shoots formation. After culture for 28 days, the LD₅₀ of UV-C irradiation was calculated to be 4.52 kJ/m² and multiple shoots formation in each treatment was significant different. In vitro flowering was found from petiole of leaf explants treated with 5.4 kJ/m² of UV-C but those flowers were malformed. While leaf laminar produced normal shoots. When each shoot obtained from UV-C irradiation was transferred to induced root on ½ MS medium for 14 days, followed by trasferred to potted soil mixture for further 60 days, plant morphologies were observed. For plants obtained from irradiated leaf explant with UV-C, canopy width, leaf  width, leaf  length, flower diameter and flower length showed significant different  while, stem height was not significant different. For floral morphologies, flower characteristics were altered in terms of petal color and thickness.