Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is an annual vegetable with a high chromosome number (2n = 130), but the level of genetic variation within the species remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of chemically induced mutations on okra as part of a genetic improvement strategy. The seeds of ‘Arka Anamika’ were treated with two doses (56 mM and 80 mM) of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS), while untreated seeds were used as control. Significant variation in plant height, number of buds/plants, number of flowers and fruits/plants, yield/plant, fruit length and number of seeds/pods were observed in the mutagenized populations while no significant variation was recorded in fruit width. The mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency were assessed based on biological damage in the M1 generation and chlorophyll mutations in the M2 generation, respectively. Both mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency decreased as the mutagenic treatments increased. These findings showed that a lower dose of EMS (56 mM) was considerably effective in most of the assessed traits both in the M1 and M2 generations. As a result, it could serve as a promising approach to enhance the effectiveness of breeding programs aimed at discovering new okra variants.
Keywords: mutation breeding, chemical mutagenesis, functional mutant, physiology