MUMBAI, India, Feb. 13 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641008132 A) filed by D Arul Balachandran, Salem, Tamil Nadu, on Jan. 28, for 'gamma irradiation-induced mutant groundnut lines with enhanced oil content and modified fatty acid composition.'
Inventor(s) include Dr. G. Aswini; Mr. C. Karthiksaran; Dr. V. Balamurugan; Dr. K. Yasmin; Dr. V. Soundarya; and Mr. P. Dhinakaran.
The application for the patent was published on Feb. 13, under issue no. 07/2026.
According to the abstract released by the Intellectual Property India: "The present invention pertains to the use of gamma irradiation as an effective mutagenic method for the improvement of morphological, biochemical, and agronomic traits in groundnut. In this study, seeds were subjected to varying doses of gamma irradiation. Seed germination and survival percentage was assessed on the 7th and 30th day. The results revealed a dose-dependent decline in morphological and quantitative traits in M1 generation, attributed to chromosomal alterations induced by irradiation. However, significant enhancements were observed in key biochemical parameters: protein levels increased progressively with higher doses; amino acid content peaked at 500 Gy and carbohydrate and lipid levels increased significantly at 400 Gy compared to the control. GC-MS analysis confirmed elevated lipid concentration at 400 Gy, suggesting improved oil quality. Agronomic performance in subsequent generations revealed that mutant lines produced multiple pods per plant and superior 100-seed weight, with 400 Gy delivering the highest values for yield-related traits. Correlation studies in the M2 generation indicated that plant height, sound mature seed percentage, and pod yield were positively associated, highlighting their importance for selection. Gene expression analysis confirmed enhanced mRNA transcript levels of AhRabG3b and AhLPAT2 in constricted seed mutants, along with early flowering and pod constriction characteristics. These genetic variations indicate a favourable response to gamma irradiation, potentially altering seed size and oil composition. The findings demonstrate that a controlled dose of 400 Gy is optimal for generating desirable mutants, providing a valuable strategy for groundnut improvement and commercial crop enhancement through mutation breeding."
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