Isolation of early flowering mutant in cultivar C-306 known for its good chapati making quality

About 85% of wheat grains produced in India is consumed in the form of chapaties or its variant form. Wheat varieties released in India have acceptable chapati making qualities; however, the variety C-306 is quoted for its excellent chapati making quality. Good chapati making quality requires medium strong dough and it is influenced by protein content and protein quality. The variety C-306 is medium tall and late in flowering and thus not suitable for large scale cultivation. To reduce the duration of the variety, γ-ray induced mutagenesis was used. Mature seeds were irradiated with 200, 300, or 400Gy. About 400 plants in M1 generation were harvested individually and planted in M2 generation as plant to row progenies. In M2 generation mutants were observed which flowered early and showed reduction in height. The mutants were carried forward in M3 and M4 generation as plant to row progenies. Although, there were minor segregations in the lines, the early flowering and maturity behavior was consistent. The parent showed anthesis in about 75 days while the mutants showed anthesis from 50 to 63 days. Seven mutant lines were selected for quality analysis. These lines in M5 generation showed anthesis in 50 days and maturity in 90 days and grain protein content ranging from 11.9 to 14.9% as compared to 13.1% in the parent. SDS-PAGE of total grain protein showed that the mutants had unaltered high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit pattern. Rheological properties were estimated using Brabender Farinograph. The mutants had comparable water absorption, dough development time, dough stability, degree of softening and quality number. The early mutants are being monitored for yield and quality parameters and are expected to retain good quality and possess improved agronomic characteristics. (author)