Radiation induced self-incompatibility and its inheritance in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp)]

Abstract

With a view to induce agronomically useful mutations for desirable characters like earliness, determinate growth habit and large seed size in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp)], the seeds of an elite variety, V-130, were irradiated with 200 Gy gamma rays and morphological mutants were isolated in M2 [1]. In addition to various desirable mutants a few plants that flowered but did not set pods were also noticed in the M2. The pollen of such visibly sterile plants, when tested for fertility with aceto-carmine, was found to be fertile, indicating the involvement of self-incompatibility. The floral morphology of this self-incompatible mutant (SIM) was similar to that of the parent V-130 and set pods when pollinated with the pollen from another cowpea variety C-152. Hence the mutant was studied further to investigate the mode of inheritance of its non-bearing character.