The researchers of radiotherapy department in Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMP) bred a new strain of Perilla frutescens L. named KJ0801. It is the first time to breed Perilla frutescens L. with heavy ions radiation mutation breeding techniques in China.

The KJ0801 had some varying agronomic characters, such as wrinkled leaves (Fig.1), long inflorescences (Fig.2), good capacity of tillering, higher α-linolenic acid content in seeds and higher yield et al. The average yield per mu and α-linolenic acid content were 121.2kg and 62%, increased by 11.3 % and 5.4 % compared with normal Perilla, respectively.

The Perilla frutescens Britt (Perilla), a selffertilizing annual herb of the Lamiaceae family recorded by Pharmacopoeia of People’s Republic of China for about 2000 years, is one of the 60 medicinal and edible plants issued by the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China and one of the plant resource with the highest α-linolenic acid content in China. The α-linolenic acid has long reputed as a "Plant gold" in nutriology fields and becomes one of the hottest points in chemical, foodstuff, pharmaceutical and healthcare research areas in recent years. Perilla is not only a kind of excellent vegetables for health, but also a kind of important Chinese herbal medicine. Perilla has been used in treatment of asthma, colds, cough, vomiting, abdominal pain, poisonings and allergic reactions for its significant antioxidant properties, chemopreventive and antitumor activities. Widespread planting of the new Perilla varieties will promote the Perilla industry development, boost the rural economy and benefit to the human’s health.

This work was supported by grants from the Xinjiang Province Assisted by Science and Technology project (Y160040YD0) and Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (0803RJZA074).

Fig.1 The phenotype effects of ¹²C⁶⁺ irradiation on the Perilla frutescens (L.). KJ0801：Mutant; 
CK：normal plant (Imaged by IMP)

Fig.2 The effects of ¹²C⁶⁺ irradiation on the inflorescence of Perilla frutescens (L.). KJ0801：Mutant;
CK：normal plant (Imaged by IMP)