Ethyl methanesulfonate-induced seed mutagenesis of Capsicum annuum

In order to determine the optimal conditions for mutagenesis of Capsicum annuum L., seeds of the cultivar Keystone Resistant Giant no. 3 were treated with 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% ethyl methanesulfanate (EMS) and exposed for 3, 6, and 9 h at 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, and 20°C. Several unique and interesting mutants were generated in this study. In the M1 generation, seeds treated with 1.5% EMS at 20°C for 9 h had the lowest germination percentage among 36 treatments, but the observed differences in germination percentage were not significant. This study suggests that concentration and duration of seed exposure to EMS could be increased to induce even greater number of mutants.