EFFECTS OF GAMMA RADIATION ON SOME MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF SWEET POTATO

Abstract

Inherent variations were observed in the leaf shape of sweet potato cultivars Kinabakab and UPLB Acc. 624 and in the root skin pigmentation of BNAS-51 cultivar. Doses of 2000 and 3000 rads produced wrinkled and deformed leaves in vM₁ plants of all three cultivars with the latter dose giving the higher percentage of aberrant leaves and plants with such leaves. Among the cultivars, Kinabakab apparently has the most radiosensitive leaf shape and leaf rugosity. Only Kinabakab had some vM2 plants which retained the wrinkled leaves observed in vM, plants. The same cultivar exhibited the highest mortality of cuttings obtained from vM, plants which showed wrinkled and deformed leaves. One Kinabakab vM2 plant treated with 3000 rads produced a secondary branch that was an apparent genetic variant. Vine length at maturity and internode length of vM2 plants of the three cultivars were not significantly affected by various doses of gamma radiation.