• Mutation is represented as variation in characters
of the species.
• Either environmental or hereditary changes.
• When a change occurs in genome of individual
,which is not caused due to environment, it make
permanent changes and known as mutation .
• Mutations are chromosomal and point mutations
• Chromosomal means change in genetic material,
• Changes with gene, or cistron of DNA molecule
cause point mutation.
• It is permanent and heritable.
• Mutation which occurs due to some unknown reason
from nature is called as spontaneous mutation.
• This has be observed in some plants, bacteria,viruses
etc.
• Mutations can also be induced by artificial means with
certain agents called as induced mutations.
• The various mutagens used arec exposure to uv rays ,x
rays, ionising radiations
• Chemical mutagens used are nitrogen mustard,
formaldehyde, nitrous acid, magnese chloride.
• The changes causes due to mutation include
morphological and anatomical changes,as well as
chemical composition.
• This is significant for medical plants.
• Mutations can cause building the resistance of
medicinal plant towards certain diease.
• But in all this cases the plant may become
suspectible to climatic conditions.
• This effects are eliminated by breeding and
selection.
• The artificial mutations are thoswhich are induced
artificially in living organism by exposing them to
environmental radiations ,physical conditions,
temperature and chemicals.
• All of which these called mutagens.
1) Radiation mutations:
The electromagnetic waves of short wavelength
are radiation mutagens.
X rays and gamma rays are called as ionising
radiations.
Also include alpha particles, beta ,thermal ,fast
neurons.
• Due to ionising radiations, many cases, water
molecule in biological system release one electron,
and becomes unstable and splits into hydrogen ion
and hydroxy radical .
• Now hydrogen reacts with oxygen and produces
hydroperoxyl radical .
• They are oxidizing agents.
• When chromosomes and their DNA struck by
radicals, they react due to sugar phosphate part of
DNA impaired leading to chromosomal mutations
like breaks,deletions, inversions, and
translocations.
2)Chemical mutations:
• Chemical mutagens like nitrogen
mustard,formaldyhydes, nitrous acid, ethyl ethane
sulphonate alter chemical constitution of DNA
bases,and cause transitional substitution IN DNA.
• In general chemical mutagens have profound
cellular effects like production of abnormal DNA ,
inhibition of deoxyrebonucleotide synthesis, and
inhibition of cytochrome oxidase with resultant
peroxidase formation.
• The artificial production of mutations in medicinal
plants is an important milestone in development
of cultivation technology.
• Examples like higher solasodine content is achived
by applying radiation and chemical mutagens in
solanum khasianum.
• Another exmple morphine conent of papaverum
somniferum.
• The economically important characters of atropa
belladona enhanced by radiation and chemical
mutagens.
• Artificial studies effective on species of mentha.
• Capsicum seeds treated with ethyl methane
sulphonate gives higher content of capsicin.