[en] The report covers the present status of programmes to develop materials to be used for three different objectives: (1) selections from spontaneous variation; (2) mutagenic treatments with two varieties; and (3) to determine the influence of nitrogen levels on protein content and overall yield. With the first materials the objectives were to isolate genotypes with different protein profiles as basic material for studies on the mechanism of protein synthesis and to produce populations with high protein content to utilize in the breeding programme. The objective with the second material was to isolate genotypes with high protein content and high general agronomic performance in order to obtain high protein production per unit area; to reach these objectives, seed samples of the cultivars Carioca and Rosinha were either exposed to ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation or treated with ethyl methane sulphonate. The third material was intended for studying the influence of nitrogen fertilization on protein content and yield since there is a need to investigate whether genetic factors are involved. (author)

[en] Nuclear Malaysia has successfully developed two new rice mutants namely NMR 151 and NMR 152. In addition, Nuclear Malaysia has also successfully developed Oligo chitosan and liquid bio fertilizer (Bioliquifert). Oligo chitosan acts as elicitor that has been proven to be very effective in controlling disease infections and improving yield productivity. Bioliquifert on the other hand is a mixture of microbes containing major nutrient-providing microorganisms. The objective of this study is to observe the effects of Oligo chitosan and Bioliquifert on rice mutants, NMR 151 and NMR 152. The treatment was applied on 14 day old seedlings of MR 219, NMR 151 and NMR 152 sowed in 20 cm pots containing silty clay from the paddy soil of Tanjung Karang, Selangor. The seedlings were then placed in the greenhouse at Nuclear Malaysia until it reaches 110 days old. Study was conducted in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications was used and each replication consisted of three plants. All treatments received compound and single dressing fertilizer as recommended by National Rice Production Package except for Treatment 2 and 3, in which Treatment 2 received Oligo chitosan and Bioliquifert while Treatment 3 only received Bioliquifert. Results on plant height, number of tiller and plant fresh weight are not significantly different for all cultivar except for seed dry weight of NMR 152 and MR 219. (author)

[en] Mutation breeding using ionizing radiations and other mutagens has been most successful in ornamental plants and produced quite a large number of new promising varieties in different ornamentals. A project for the improvement of radiation induced ornamental varieties was developed at National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow

[en] Five mutants were isolated from two Japonica rice cultivars, after gamma rays mutagenesis. These mutants appeared to be controlled by single recessive nuclear genes expressed a chlorophyll deficient mutant at above 28 deg. C and were albino 350 deg. C with the exception of mutant 44 (yellow green at 250 deg. C and 280 deg. C). Phenotypic change was not observed in the high temperature sensitive mutant on transferring from 350 deg. C to 250 deg. C except mutant 7. On the other hand, three of the five mutants became albino when they were developed under 250 deg. C and transferred to 350 deg. C. Further studies with mutant 40 and 44 indicated that they were also light sensitive as dark-grown seedlings did not exhibit albino phenotype even at 350 deg. C. (author)

[en] Two soybean cultivars(Paldalkong and Bangsakong) were irradiated with gamma-ray to reduce seed size, which is an important trait for soybean sprout and the derived mutant soybeans were analyzed in several agronomic and biochemical traits. There were high levels of variations in quantitative traits among the mutants. Several mutant lines showed higher yield and smaller seed than their parents. Qualitative traits such as seed coat color or pubescent color were also changed in a few lines. Biochemical variations were also observed among the mutants. In seed storage protein analysis, many mutant lines showed reduced intensities in β-subunits in 7S globulin than their parents and an additional band in the acidic subunit at 31KDa. Two mutant lines derived from Paldalkong showed an additional band and a shifted band of protease inhibitor by electrophoretic analysis. Variations in isozymes and RAPD were also observed among the mutants. Six isozymes(Adh, Est, Gdh, Idh, Mdh and Pgm) among eleven isozymes showed some variations and six out of ten primers showed polymorphic amplified DNA fragments among the mutants. (author)

[en] In a programme designed for improving sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) through the use of radiation and induced mutation, mutants with alternate phyllotaxation and number of capsules per leaf axil, increase of loculus per capsule, plants with short internodes and others carrying dark seeds were obtained from M₂ and M₃ generations after seed irradiation with 1, 5 and 20 Krad (dose rate 39.68 rad/sec.) of the buff-brown-seed cultivar Giza 24. Such mutants have been introduced in a programme for assessing the possibility of utilizing them in improving characteristics of sesame

[en] Cassava is of great economic significance in Zambia due to its increasing role as a food security crop in drought prone areas of the country.Studies to improve the quality of the cassava tuber and the quality and quantity of the planting material using in vitro techniques is being conducted in several areas of Zambia. The preliminary results are encouraging from the field trials conducted so far

No abstract available

[en] To isolate pesticidal microbes against plant pathogenic fungi, 4 strains of bacteria(K1. K3, K4, YS1) were isolated from mushroom compost and hot spring. K4, K1, K3, YS1 strain showed wide antifungal spectrum and high antifungal activities against 12 kinds of fungi. Specific proteins and the specific transcribed genes were found from the YS1 and its radiation-induced mutants. And knock-out mutants of antifungal activity were derived by transposon mutagenesis. From these knock-out mutants, the antifungal activity related genes and its modification by gamma-ray radiation are going to be studied. These results suggested that radiation could be an useful tool for the induction of functional mutants

[en] Mutants obtained from N - methyl -N' - nitro - N - nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) treatment of the W₅ strain or Staphylococcus epidermidis and selected for their increased UV - sensitivity were characterized according to their capacity to repair DNA damage. The original W₅ parental strain as well as several phenotypically defined strains of Escherichia coli, described in the literature, were used as a reference. The study included: the verification of cellular UVV - and MNNG - sensitivities; the determination of the bacterial potential for phage-reactivation by constitutive enzymatic mechanisms (host cell reactivation), as well as by the action of inducible repair systems (W-reactivation); the assessment of the UV-inductibility of prophage in the lysogenic hosts. (author)