An induced mutant with different flower colour and stipule morphology in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.)

Abstract

Striking variations in flower colour and shape of stipule were conspicuous in a mutant plant detected in the post irradiated (350 Gy of gamma rays) Ms progeny of grass pea var. Bio R-231. While the parental control cultivar produced characteristic blue coloured flowers during the investigation carried out for nine consecutive years, colour of flower in the mutant had modified into white with blue patches on the largest petal (standard or vexillum) only (Figs. 1-3). In control, the free lateral stipules were navicular in shape with semisagittate base but the two stipules in the mutant were found to be of different shapes, one being acicular-distichous while the other was incurved with linear-fulcate shaped modification. The modified flower colour and stipule character had transmitted in the succeeding selfed generations without any alterations. Transmission of induced modification in flower colour and stipule character had also been reported earlier in other mutant lines derived through gamma rays irradiation in the same variety [1, 2]. Perusal of literature however, cites occurrence of white and mixed colour lines in the west, the Canary islands and the former U.S.S.R. [3].