Mutagenicity of O-diazoacetyl-l-serine (azaserine) and 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) in a soybean test system

The mutagenicity of O-diazocetyl-l-serine (azaserine) and 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON), glutamine analogues, were assayed in heterozygous soybean plants (Y11y11), according to the appearance of mutational spots (yellow, dark green and twin) on the leaves. The mutagenicity of azaserine was detected at 0.1 mg/ml, and that of DON, at 0.05 mg/ml. DON was strongly cytotoxic at doses exceeding 0.1 mg/ml. After azaserine and DON treatment, large spots which occupied more than half the leaflet were found in the first and second compound leaves. The glutamine analogues increased the frequency of yellow spots much more than dark green spots or twin spots. Light green spots were observed on y11y11 plants. Azaserine and DON induce somatic crossing over, point mutation and segmental loss as major effects.