Abstract: Heavy ion beam irradiation is an emerging radiation mutagenesis technology. Compared
with traditional radiation such as X-rays and gamma rays，heavy ion beam provides a high linear energy
transfer（LET）and relative biological effectiveness（RBE）. This technique induces mutations at a higher
rate and wider mutation spectrum. When irradiated，the sensitivity of different parts and developmental
stages of different plant materials varies. Radiation ion source commonly used is C，N，Ne etc. Through a
combination of tissue culture，materials processing，re-irradiation and genetic engineering，this approach
has been applied in more than 20 ornamental plants，including chrysanthemum，carnation，verbena，torenia
etc. Many novel mutations and varieties have been obtained，some of them have been commercialized with
large economic benefits. Heavy ion beam technology is an excellent tool to improve mutation breeding of
horticulture plants with high efficiency.