Isolation of macromutations and mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Dry and healthy seeds of a macrosperma cv., LH90–54 were treated with three doses each of ethyl methane sulphonate (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8%) and sodium azide (0.02, 0.04 and 0.08%). EMS induced higher frequency of macromutations, i.e. 40.0 and 10.2% against 23.91 and 3.63% mutated progenies and plants of SA, respectively. Majority of the progenies (45.24%) segregated for mutation of one type. Among macromutations, the frequency of chlorophyll mutations obtained was higher (61.9%) than the morphological mutations (38.1%). Four kinds of chlorophyll (albina, chlorina, xantha and viridis) and twelve kinds of morphological mutations included changes for growth habit (compact, bushy, prostrate), foliage (narrow, broad, rogue, tendrillar), plant height (tall, dwarf) and maturity and flowering behaviour (early, late, sterile). EMS induced albina, chlorina and xantha, whereas SA induced viridis with higher frequency. The mutations for growth habit (56.2%) and foliage (59.1%) were induced with higher frequency by EMS, whereas those for plant height (61.5%) and maturity and flowering behavior (51.1%) were induced with higher frequency by SA. On the basis of sterility, SA was found 4.24 and 4.28 times more effective and efficient, respectively, than EMS.