The Indonesian garlic (Allium sativum L.), with small bulbs and cloves, requires improvement. Mutation breeding offers a valuable approach for inducing variability in vegetatively propagated crops. This study aimed to determine the LD₅₀ and assess the morphological responses of two garlic cultivars, Sangga Sembalun and Lumbu Putih, to gamma rays, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), and colchicine for identifying effective mutagens for bulbs and cloves’ improvement. Gamma rays applied were 0, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 Gy, while EMS and colchicine rates were at 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6%. Both cultivars differed in germination and growth under mutagenic treatments, with LD₅₀ values of 9.54 and 11.35 Gy (gamma), 1.19% and 0.67% (EMS), and 1.25% and 3.58% (colchicine) for Sangga Sembalun and Lumbu Putih, respectively. Foliage color was the most responsive trait. Gamma irradiation caused the greatest growth suppression, whereas EMS and colchicine treatments enhanced bulb and clove size by 8.35% and 36.4%, respectively. Putative mutants predominantly appeared at the LD₅₀ level and served as key genetic resources for developing superior Indonesian garlic cultivars.
Indonesian garlic (A. sativum L.), genetic variability, mutation breeding, physical mutagens, chemical mutagens, LD₅₀
For garlic (A. sativum L.) mutagenesis, the LD₅₀ of gamma rays, EMS, and colchicine has succeeded in their determination as the optimal dose to generate the genetic variability. The breeding material comprising garlic mutants can be applicable to developing superior cultivars.