Maize (Zea mays L.) production constraints increase from soil salinity, which interrupts plant growth through physiological and anatomical instability. Therefore, to develop stress-resilient cultivars, effective approaches are essential to generate adaptive variations in genetic material through mutation breeding using gamma irradiation. The concerned study aimed to evaluate the early anatomical and physiological responses of maize to gamma irradiation under non-stress conditions and identify the traits associated with salinity stress adaptation. Maize seeds received irradiation with Cobalt-60 (⁶⁰Co) gamma rays at doses of 0, 100, 200, and 300 Gy as they grew under field conditions with standard agronomic practices. The results showed gamma radiation induced dose-dependent anatomical and physiological responses in maize. A dose of 100 Gy tended to maintain the integrity of the anatomical structure and chlorophyll content. Meanwhile, a dose of 200–300 Gy caused considerable variations in the anatomical structure, particularly stomata size and tissue thickness, as well as a considerable decrease in chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content in maize.
Maize, induced mutation, dose response, salinity stress adaptation, leaf anatomy, chlorophyll pigments
Gamma irradiation induced synchronized anatomical and physiological variations in maize, with an apparent dose-dependent response. The early responses highlighted the potential of anatomical and physiological traits as reliable indicators for selecting stress-adaptive genotypes through mutation breeding.