An assessment of chemical mutagen induced polygenic variability in M₃ progenies of mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

The M₃ progenies of 184 high yielding M₂ progenies resulting from chemical mutagen (SA, HA and EMS) treatment on three varieties of mungbean (RMG-62, RMG-268 and RMG-344) were evaluated along with 5 checks (including parents). The analysis of variance revealed significant differences within the progenies and the checks. Mutant progenies were also significantly different from the checks for all the traits (except days to flowering). The progenies exhibited relatively high values of heritability (~ 71 - 93%) for all the characters studied, but the magnitude of genetic advance as percentage of mean was relatively low for branches/plant (33.34%), pod/plant (28.59%), clusters/plant (27.59%) and seed yield/plant/(26.80%) and still low for other traits. On the basis of seed yield/plant, 13 M₃ progenies were better than the best check MUM -2. The observed higher yield was due to higher no. of pods/plant. These M₃ progenies represented all the three parent varieties. Mutant progeny 173 of RMG-344 recorded the highest seed yield of 8.10 g per plant which was 50.83 per cent higher than the best check and 67.70 per cent higher than RMG-344.