Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences, Deemed to be University, Naini, Allahabad-211 007 (U.P.)
Online published on 18 February, 2013.
Mutation breeding is resorted to achieve rapid genetic changes in the targeted material for its genetic enhancement. Induced polygenic variability in respect of growth and yield contributing traits were studied in M2 generation of cultivar Kalyan sona. Results indicated that higher concentration of sodium azide reduces the germination percentage, root and shoot length. However, at low concentration it was at par with control. Yield attributing characters showed both positive and negative shift in mean value in different concentrations in comparison to control. The magnitude of polygenic traits for genotypic and phenotypic variability, heritability and genetic gain decreases with the increases in concentration of sodium azide. Some of the mutant lines (eight progeny for earliness, one for plant height, three for spike length and grain yield each, two for tillering and four for test weight) were found desirable. These lines were either comparable to or better than control for yield and its components. It can be concluded that sodium azide with 0.02 per cent concentration appear to be most effective mutagenic treatment for induction of micro-mutation in yield component traits in wheat. Selection in M2 populations of these treatment would be effective in rectification of simply inherited morphological deficiencies and bringing out lines with yield improvement.
Mutagenesis, sodium azide, agro-morphometric traits, crop improvement and wheat
