Isolation of desirable mutants in safflower for crop improvement

The present investigation was undertaken to isolate mutants having promising traits for safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) improvement. Two varieties of safflower viz., AKS-207 and Bhima were mutagenised with ethyl methanesulphonate, sodium azide and gamma rays. All the mutagens decreased pollen fertility in M₁ generation with the increase in their dose. The screening of M₂ population led to the isolation of several putative mutants. The frequency of mutations varied according to the mutagen, its dose and the variety concerned. The evaluation of these putative mutants in M₃ generation resulted in selection of early bolting, dwarf, highly branched, large head, high test weight, thin hull, high oil content and high oleic acid mutants on the basis of their utility in breeding for safflower improvement. Amongst the three mutagens used, sodium azide proved to be most effective and efficient mutagen for induction of mutations in safflower.