ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Salvia uliginosa is a desirable ornamental shrub for the landscape with blue flowers and the ability to attract pollinators, but limited variation is commercially available in this species. Mutation breeding is a valuable tool to induce variation in ornamental species. However, many deleterious effects are associated with mutation breeding, including reduced rooting ability of vegetative cuttings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cuttings of S. uliginosa were randomly assigned into groups of 10 and exposed to 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 Gy of gamma rays from a cobalt-60 source to determine an appropriate treatment rate. A follow-up experiment treated 25 S. uliginosa cuttings at 35 Gy to induce favorable mutations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Root quality, survival, and plant height were reduced at higher levels of gamma radiation in the M1V1. However, rooting ability was not impacted in M1V2 selections. Additionally, one mutant was isolated from the 35 Gy treatment with variegated leaves for a mutation rate of 4%. Our research determined a treatment rate that induced a dominant mutation in S. uliginosa while minimizing the deleterious influence of gamma radiation.
