BIOTECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES ON TOMATOES IMPROVEMENT FOR SALT STRESS TOLERANCE THROUGH TISSUE CULTURE AND GAMMA RADIATION TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) are considered major and important globally vegetable crops in Egypt in particular. Tissue culture techniques have facilitated the use of mutation methods in crop improvement. The mutation induction in vegetative crops through tissue culture and ɣ-irradiation may be the optimal method to improve this crop. Tomato explants Idkawy (Egyptian cultivar) was cultured in vitro on MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l BAP. The resulted plantlet was treated with different gamma radiation doses (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 Gy). The growth rate, survival and mean of shoot length decreased with increased gamma radiation doses. The survival percentages of irradiated plantlets ranged from 78.75% with 50 Gy and 18.75% with 250 Gy.