Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (The)

SCOPUSWeb of Science
  • Year: 1976
  • Volume: 36
  • Issue: 2

Mutagenic efficiency and effectiveness of some alkylating agents*

  • Author:
  • J. G. Jagtap1, K. Das2
  • Total Page Count: 6
  • DOI:
  • Page Number: 259 to 264

Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-5, India

1Present address: Sorghum Project, College of Agriculture, Indore, India

2Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, 785013.

*A part of the Ph.D. thesis of the senior author.

Abstract

The present work is an attempt to study the mutagenic efficiency and effectiveness of four monofunctional alkylating agents, EMS, dES, MES and EI in relation to the role of differential alkyl groups, concentration of the mutagen, pH value and duration of treatment in the barley var. K12.

Efficiency was calculated as per methods suggested by Konzak et al. (1965) and Walther (1969). Effectiveness was estimated as the factor of effectiveness (F.E.), proposed by Walther (1969). dES was more efficient than EMS, MES and EI in relation to lethality only while MES was the most efficient in relation to sterility as well as in producing high frequency of mutants per mutation. This suggests higher specificity of MES with regard to certain loci. On the other hand, the factor of effectiveness i.e., mutations per 100 treated seeds was highest in EI.

Contrary to earlier reports MES has been found to be more effective and efficient than ethylating agents due to particular treatment regime.