Selection of stable mutants from cultured rice anthers treated with ethyl methane sulfonic acid

To increase the frequency of stable mutants from cultured anthers of rice, the effects of EMS treatment on callus induction, plant regeneration and mutant induction were investigated according to the timing of treatment after anther inoculation on the medium. The frequency of callus induction was highest in anthers treated with 0.5% EMS 10 days after culture. Anthers treated directly at the initiation of culture exhibited a very low callus induction level, and the such calluses exhibited a poor plant regeneration capacity. The frequency of regeneration of green plants was significantly decreased by EMS treatments immediately after anther inoculation as compared with control. The frequencies of stable mutants were 20.7% and 12.0% in EMS treatments at 10 and 20 days, but unstable mutants were 43.1% and 52.6%, respectively. A total of 14 stable mutants, semidwarf mutants (4 lines), grain-shape mutants (2 lines) and glabrous mutants (8 lines) were selected from doubled haploid lines of the A(2) generation. The frequencies of callus induction, green plant regeneration and stable mutants were maximal in anthers treated with 0.5% EMS 10 days after culture.