Abstract
In vitro mutation method was used to obtain salt-tolerant clone in apricot. Small propagules of Canino apricot cultivar were irradiated with gamma ray at doses of 0, 10, 25, 35, 50, 75 and 100 Gy. After 30 days from treatment, both the radio sensitivity and post-irradiation recovery were assessed as the number of proliferated shoots per explants, fresh weight of cultures, shoot length and productivity of irradiated explants. A sudden and sharp decrease in the survival percentage occurred with the dose 75 Gy, while the highest dose (100 Gy) was lethal for all propagules. A marked decline in the number of regenerated shoots per explant and fresh weight of produced cultures was associated with an increase of irradiation doses. Doses in the range of 10-75 Gy, which preserved high survival percentage of irradiated explants, seemed to be more suitable for in vitro mutation in Canino apricot cultivar. Irradiated shoots were exposed to different concentrations of NaCl which were added to the multiplication medium at the rates of 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 mM and after 30 days, vigorous shoots were selected from salinity treatments. In conclusion, apricot tissues exposed to different doses of gamma irradiation in the range of 10-75 Gy, followed by culturing the plantlets produced in a medium containing additional salts (ranging from 25 to 125 mM) can be considered a good method to identify the most tolerant mutants to salts in apricot cultivars.
