Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of gamma rays, ethyl methane sulphonate and their combination treatments in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of gamma rays, EMS and their combined treatments in chickpea. Seeds of two varieties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) were treated with gamma rays (150 Gy, 200G y, 300G y and 400G y), EMS (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%) and their combinations (200 Gy+0.2% EMS, 300 Gy+0.2% EMS, 200 Gy+0.3% EMS and 300 Gy+0.3% EMS). The biological damage was calculated in M1 generation based on seed lethality (L), seedling injury (I), pollen sterility (S) and meiotic aberrations (M). The M2 population was carefully screened for various chlorophyll mutations. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency was calculated based on biological damage in M1 and chlorophyll mutations in M2. Mutagenic effectiveness increased with the increase in dose/treatment. Combination treatments in general proved to be more effective followed by individual treatments of EMS and gamma rays. Mutagenic efficiency varied depending upon the criteria selected for its estimation and the degree of efficiency of various mutagens also showed variation. Intermediate treatments in general were found more efficient in causing less biological damage and inducing maximum amount of mutations. The order of efficiency, however, was gamma rays+EMS>EMS>gamma rays. Among the two varieties, var. Pusa-372 proved to be more sensitive to mutagenic treatment than the var. Pusa-212. © 2009 Asian Network for Scientific Information.