Regional Research Centre, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Hyderabad
Dormant seeds of H.C6 castor were treated with different doses of fast-neutrons and gamma rays. In the radiated populations the frequency of plants with pistillate spikes was more than doubled. There was some evidence of stimulation of some of the characters of castor by irradiation.
Mutations of genes controlling stem colour, bloom, nature of capsule, nature of spikes, plant height, seed size, yield, oil content etc., were brought about by irradiation. There appear to be distinct possibilities of isolation of pistillate lines which could be used for the exploitation of hybrid vigour in castor. The dwarf mutant and the short mutant will allow reduction in spacing thus increasing the plant population to more than double or treble the normal population and for response to fertilization and irrigation and ultimately higher yield per unit area.
