title: [Seedling botanical characters and determination of effective components on Dioscorea zingerbrensis by space mutation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order to find the new varieties with different horticultural characters, and investigate the mutation effects of seeds of Dioscorea zingerbrensis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The seeds were carried by a satellite into space and recovered. The space mutation effect on the germination, seedling growth, chromosomes and rhizome diosgenin content of SP, populations of D. zingerbrensis were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stimulated by space environment, the seed possessed the fast germinating characteristics. Germination rate showed no change. It was also found that a few plants were aneuploid or tetraploid. Fresh rhizome weight and rhizome diosgenin content in the second year plant were remarkably higher than those of the control. However, the increasing of third year plant was slow down, and rhizome diosgenin content in the third year plant declined simultaneously.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The space environment showed stimulating effects on seed germination, fresh rhizome weight and rhizome diosgenin content.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany in Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
authors.forename: Baocheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yifeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yueyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hang
mesh_terms: D027742:Dioscorea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D018525:Germination; D009154:Mutation; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts