Abstract
The application of mutation breeding method was aimed at identification of mutants which possess positive agro-morphological and quality characteristics. In a series of studies between 1994 and 1998 using gamma irradiation for sugarcane, the dose sensitivity range of 4–8 kilograys (kgy) were identified for optimum germination of cane buds: The LD50 for cane buds was observed to lie between 30–50 kgy while complete lethality occurred at 70 kgy. The growth and quality traits of first generation of vegetative mutants (M1V2) tended to be reduced when gamma doses increased. This relationship which was inconsistent in M1V2 showed stabilized effects of these traits in M1V2. Artificial inoculation with smut spore were used to screen M1V3 mutants of three standard sugarcane clones of diverse origins. Eight selected mutants showing resistance to smut were identified. The significance of these clonal selections in breeding for smut resistance (which is the most important disease of sugarcane in Nigeria) have been discussed.
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