Effect of colchicine induction on the phenotypic, mineral and phytochemical compositions of Amarantus cruentus L.

Abstract

The development of genetically improved crops by breeders to meet the needs of farmers and populace requires the induction of genetic  variability in crops to produce unique variants. Colchicine-induced mutagenesis has emerged as a promising technique for  generating genetic variations and improving plant characteristics. The study investigated the impact of varying concentrations of  colchicine on the phenotypic traits, mineral, and phytochemical compositions of Amaranthus cruentus. The research was conducted at  the screen house of the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The seeds of  Amaranthus cruentus were planted in plastic bowls with varying concentrations of colchicine (0.1 g/ml, 0.2 g/ml, and 0.3 g/ml) of  colchicine, while 0.0 serves as the control and the experiment was set up in triplicates. The subsequent effects on the phenotypic traits,  phytochemical and mineral compositions were evaluated at maturity. Phenotypic traits including plant height, leaf size, leaf shape, and inflorescence characteristics were assessed. Phytochemical and mineral compositions of the matured plants were also determined. The  results reveal significant variations at p ≤ 0.05 in phenotypic traits among the mutant lines compared to the control group. Changes in  growth patterns, and leaf morphology were observed, indicating successful induction of genetic variations through colchicine treatment.  The mineral profiles including iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, potassium, manganese and phytochemical compositions such as flavonoids,  phenols and tannins of the mutant lines exhibited notable differences compared to the control, suggesting that colchicine-induced  mutagenesis influenced mineral accumulation in Amaranthus cruentus. The results suggest that colchicine has a dose-dependent effect  on the morphological characteristics, mineral and phytochemical compositions of the plant.