Micromutations Induced by Physical and Chemical Mutagens in Bread Wheat

While there was decrease in the mean for number of tillers per plant and single plant yield, the mean plant height and hundred kernel weight remain unchanged in mutagenic treated population. However, all the mutagens gamma rays, EMS, hydroxylamine and hydrazine were effective in generating variability for all the four quantitative characters studied. In terms of induced variability for quantitative characters gamma rays were most effective; among chemical mutagens, hydroxylamine was the most effective and hydrazine the least effective. The observations raised the important question whether chemical mutagens can ever be widely employed in mutation breeding programme.