CONTRIBUTION OF INDUCED MUTATION

Abstract

Mutation breeding for crop improvement is a technique used for over 70 years. It is a fast way to increase the rate of spontaneous genetic variation in plants contributing to global food security. The genetic variability, created through mutagenesis i.e. physical or chemical, is an important breeding material for developing improved varieties and many studies in the field of functional genomics. The randomly generated heritable genetic changes are expressed in the mutant plants, which are selected for new and useful traits, such as high yielding, disease resistance, tolerance to abiotic stresses and improved nutritional quality. The technique helps to improve the tolerance of crop species to adverse climatic conditions, such as extremes of temperatures, drought, occurrence of pests and diseases. Through support provided by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division, significant agronomic and economic impact has been generated in many countries. The FAO/IAEA Mutant Variety Database (MVD) (http://mvd.iaea.org) demonstrates the significance of mutation induction as an efficient tool in crop improvement. The extensive use of induced mutant germplasms in crop improvement programmes resulted in releasing of more than 3,332 mutant varieties from around 228 crop species (20 July 2020).