Relationship of induced variability with production of high yielding mutants in blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper].

Three doses each of Gamma - rays, EMS, NG, MH and in combination were administered to the seeds of morphologically and genetically distinct blackgram varieties, PU-30 and Sarala In M2 generation most treatment populations exhibited reduction in mean and increase in variance for all six quantitative traits and among the mutagens NG and combined treatments induced more variability in both the varieties. The mutagenic treatments were classified into four groups on the basis of M2 mean and variance for yield/plant and constant selection pressure imposed to all treatments for selection. So in PU-30, selection of M2 plants and 21 high yielding mutant progenies out of 40 in Group II mutagenic treatments was most effective in isolation of 6 high yielding mutants out of 10 in M4. In case of Sarala, selection of M2 plants and 10 high yielding mutant progenies out of 25 in Group II was most effective in isolation of 5 high yielding mutants out of 7 in M4.