Studies on Frequency of Chlorophyll and Morphological Mutants in Chickpea

The effect of potent mutagenic chemicals, ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS), sodium azide (SA) and hydrazine hydrate (HZ), on two varieties, namely Avrodhi and BG- 256 of chickpea has been described in relation to chlorophyll and morphological mutations induced in the M2 generation. The frequency of mutations in terms of total plant basis was found to be higher at a lower concentration and concomitantly decreased with the increasing concentrations of EMS, whereas in SA and HZ it does not show any definite trend. Spectrum of chlorophyll mutations included xantha type followed by chlorina type, which outnumbered other types, namely albino, tigrina, and viridis in both the varieties, whereas the morphological mutants include changes for plant height, growth habit, foliage, pod and seed size, flowers, flowering, and maturity period. Frequency of mutations on variety basis indicated that both varieties were found to respond to the mutagenic treatments differently and on mutagen basis show relative specificity. The mutagenized population provides invaluable material for selecting types with the ideal combination of desirable features.