Chemical and physical mutagens were employed in parental lines of sunftower hybrid BSH-1 to bring about synchronous nowering, to improve test weight and on content. The nlutagenic treatments significantly enlarged variability for days to Dowering, test weight, and oil content in M2 and M3 generations or the parental lines HA-234 and RHA-274. Early and late Dowering mutants were isolated in these lines. In all mutagenic treatments, the mean test weight shifted in positive direction. The chemical EMS was more effective than gamma rays in creating a wider range for test weight. The variability generated for oil content in the parental lines provided scope for selection of high-oil mutants. The utility of the improved lines isolated in breeding has been discussed.
Sunflower, mutagenesis, flowering, seed weight, oil content
