An induced dwarf mutant of grasspea

Abstract

Only scanty information is available in literature about induced mutations in grass pea, and morphological as well as yield related parameters are less explored [1-4]. An induced dwarf mutant showing striking variations in most of the traits from control plants was isolated in grass pea. Fresh seeds of grass pea (var. Bio R 231) were germinated and hundred healthy seedlings of 3-4 days old were treated with 0.25% colchicine solution for 6h each consecutive days for induction of polyploidy. One of the treated plants (6 h, 3 days) was quite distinguishable from normal and other. treated plants by its remarkable short stature and other characteristics although it was diploid in nature. This plant was designated as a dwarf mutant (Fig. 1). Out of the 21 filled seeds harvested from the dwarf plant in FebruaryMarch 1997, 18 germinated but only 15 matured (M1) producing 69 filled seeds, which were grown in the next rabi season for raising M2 generation. All the M2 plants showed dwarfism. Data on various quantitative characters studied in M2 generation are presented in Table 1.