A Report on 36 Years of Practical Work on Crop Improvement through Induced Mutagenesis

Induced mutagenesis work was conducted from 1971 to July 2007, using both physical and chemical mutagens for improvement of a wide range of crops viz. vegetables, medicinal, pulse, oil-bearing, and ornamental crops. All classical and advanced methods were extensively used for the success of induced mutagenesis for the development of new and novel cultivars of economic importance. Being deeply engaged for the last 30 years on improvement of ornamentals through Gamma-ray induced mutagenesis, I have produced a large number of new and promising varieties in different ornamentals. A good number of ornamental mutant varieties have already been commercialized. A novel technique has been developed for management of floral chimeric sector in chrysanthemum through direct regeneration of mutated individual florets. A series of in vitro experiments were conducted and solid mutants developed through direct regeneration. In vitro mutagenesis has been successfully used for development of a salt-resistant strain in chrysanthemum, supported by biochemical analysis and field trials. (author)