In vitro Evaluation of the Effects of Sodium Azide on the Germination and Seedling Development of Sesamum radiatum and Sesamum indicum

Abstract

Mutation breeding is a widely recognized and effective method for enhancing crop production. Research has shown that induced mutations have the potential to significantly increase yield and improve various quantitative traits in plants. This method holds promise for the continued improvement of agricultural practices and the development of high-performing crop varieties. This study evaluated the mutagenic effects of sodium azide on seed germination and seedling development of two species of sesame. Sesamum radiatum and Sesamum indicum were subjected to varying concentrations of sodium azide ranging from 0.00% (control) - 0.250% for 24 hours after which they were grown in the laboratory. The mean weight of seed ranged between 1.97g in Sesamum indicum and 1.05g in Sesamum radiatum. The highest mean germination percentage was 98% and 100% for Sesamum radiatum and Sesamum indicum, respectively at day 7 with 0%, 0.0165%, 0.025%, 0.033% and 0.25% while the lowest average germination percentage was 86.67% and 98.33% produced by treatment levels: 0.033% and 0.063% for Sesamum radiatum and Sesamum indicum respectively. The analyses indicated that there was no interaction between species and sodium azide on germination percentage at P=0.54. The effect of treatments on species had no significant difference at P=0.97 on radicle length, number of days to foliage formation and length of hypocotyl. The analysis revealed that the main effect on species was found to be significant for germination percentage at a level of P≤ 0.05. Furthermore, radicle length, number of days to foliage formation, length of hypocotyl, and seedling height exhibited significant differences at P≤ 0.05, indicating that the species played a noteworthy role in these parameters. This suggests that species had a more pronounced influence on most of the parameters studied, underscoring the fact that different species reacted diversely to the mutagen.