Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-12
*Present address: Agricultural Research Station, Surat, Gujarat State.
Online published on 25 January, 2012.
Seeds of 53 single plants were treated with 0.4% EMS, of 56 plants with 0.02% NMU and those of 53 plants with 20 kr gamma rays. In some of the cases the mutagen treatment was recurrent. M2 and M3 from these were studied for isolating economic mutants.
Screening of about 5 lakh M2 and M3 plants for earliness and plant height and about 9000 M2, plants for spikelet fertility, grain colour, grain filling and other characters resulted in isolation of several interesting mutants. These included early mutants, tall mutants, mutants with high grain number per ear and functional monoleaf mutant. Economic importance of some of these mutants is discussed.
