Abstract: The anthers of several rice varieties at the early stage of culture in vitro were treated with mutagens ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), 1-methyl-3-nitro-1- nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and ethylene imide (EI) at different doses (EMS: 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, ml/l, MNNG: 25, 50, 100 mg/l; EI: 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0 ml/l) different temperature (8, 18, 27℃) and different duration (2, 4, 8, 10, 20, 30 hrs). It was observed that at lower dose and temperature, the mutagen treatment raised the induction frequency of callus, but it decreases rapidly with the increase of doses, temperature, and duration of mutagen treatment, and correspondingly, the percentage of albino plantlets increases with no obvious change in total differen- tiation frequency of calli.   

Key words: effects, chemical, mutagens, induction, variations