Abstract

BRAVO DELGADO, Humberto Rafael  and  DIAZ-LOPEZ, Ernesto. Genetic variability in sunflower root by gamma of ⁶⁰Co. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2021, vol.12, n.3, pp.461-472.  Epub May 02, 2022. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v12i3.2597.

Sunflower is a crop that belongs to the family asteraceae. This plant has multiple uses within which can be cited: oil extraction from its seeds, ornamental and due to the large volume of the radical system as a bio-remediator plant. This is caused by the extraction capacity of heavy metals such as: Pb, Mg and Ca, which affect agricultural soils. The objective of this research was to: induce genetic variability in the radical sunflower system, by using 60Co gamma irradiation. For this, achenes were planted under greenhouse conditions in 4 kg pots during the summer of 2019 at the National Institute for Nuclear Research located in the Marquesa, Mexico, which were evaluated under a completely random design. Treatments consisted of eleven 60Co gamma irradiation levels and four repetitions (11 x 5)= 55 experimental units. The results indicate that the largest volume, length and dry root biomass, were obtained with the application of 200 Gy of gamma irradiation of 60Co. LD50 for germination was reached at 207 Gy, while for sprouting with 183 Gy. It is concluded from this work that the application of 200 Gy of 60Co, can induce genetic variability in desirable attributes in sunflower, when it is intended for the bioremediation of agricultural soils.

Keywords : bioremediation; phenotypic plasticity; radical volume; Tehuacán Valley.