Effect of Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS) on Growth, Phenological, Yield and Quality Traits of Different Varieties of Garden Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Abstract

Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) is an established chemical mutagen used to generate genetic variability for crop improvement, but its biological effects are strongly influenced by mutagen concentration and genotype. The present investigation evaluated the response of three garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties, namely VL Sabji Matar-13, Arka Priya and Matar Agata-7, to three EMS concentrations (0.05, 0.10 and 0.15%) in the M1 generation, using untreated seed as the control. The experiment was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 at the Instructional Field, Vegetable Crop, Bahadari Farm, KNK College of Horticulture, Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Germination, survival, seedling growth, phenology, yield attributes and selected quality traits were assessed. Increasing EMS concentration produced a progressive reduction in germination, survival and seedling height. Germination decreased from 86.77% in the control to 72.57% at 0.15% EMS, while survival declined from 84.63% to 73.63%. The response of the varieties differed markedly. VL Sabji Matar-13 recorded superior performance for several yield-related traits, including 29.18 pods plant−1, 15.13 branches plant−1, 15.42 g 100-grain weight and 23.25 q ha−1 yield. Matar Agata-7 was comparatively early, requiring 57.75 days to 50% flowering and 84.50 days to maturity, whereas Arka Priya was later and recorded the highest total soluble solids (11.96 °Brix). Among EMS treatments, the untreated control generally produced the highest germination, survival, branching and yield, while 0.10% EMS resulted in the highest mean 100-grain weight (15.33 g). Interaction effects further demonstrated that the magnitude and direction of EMS response depended on the genotype. The findings indicate that EMS concentration must be optimised for individual pea genotypes, and that lower to moderate doses may provide a more useful balance between biological damage and the generation of genetic variability. Because the present evaluation was conducted in the M1 generation, promising treatments and phenotypes should be advanced and assessed in M2 and later generations to establish the stability and heritability of desirable mutations.