Selection of Promising Lentil Mutants Derived Through Gamma Irradiation

摘要

Air-dried seeds of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) cultivar Utfala were irradiated with 15, 20 and 25 krad of gamma rays. The M_1 generation was grown in close spacing. In M_2, 45 macro-mutants were selected on the basis of plant type, and increased number of pods, seed size and seed yield/plant. Of these only six bred true for plant type and seed yield in the M_3 generation. In M_4, a preliminary yield trial conducted at two locations revealed that four mutants produced higher seed yield than the parent. These four mutants along with the parent cultivar were put into a yield trial at three locations in M_5. The mutant line ML-40 out-yielded all the other genotypes studied. This line has been producing consistently higher seed yield for the last three consecutive generations (M_3, M_4 and M_5). In the M_5 generation, a 33% increase in seed yield was obtained from the mutant ML-40 over Utfala.