Abstract
In view of the necessity to prevent premature sprouting in certain cereal varieties, the possibilities of inducing mutation in barley with respect to water-sensitivity were studied. This property is a kind of post-harvest dormancy dependent on the amount of water available during germination, and is believed to be a natural mechanism for preventing vivipary. The influence of mutagenic treatments, comprising neutrons and ethyl methane-sulfonate (EMS) or different combinations of recurrent treatment in two consecutive generations, was studied in barley var. Foma. Different experimental series were in X2, X3, or X4, in 1963, with respect to the last mutagenic treatment, and certain families were propagated for two further generations. The germination capacity in conditions expressing the water-sensitivity were carried out. On comparing treated and control series statistically by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov non-parametric test, it was found that strong deviations existed in 1963 following either treatment. These effects, mainly consisting in increased water-sensitivity, were again found in 1964 and 1965 in certain EMS series whereas in these years the neutron series approached control values. An induced heritable variation in water-sensitivity is thus indicated, and this was confirmed in different inter-year regression analyses of family data. The latter gave high significance in EMS-treated series. Significance was not reached in the neutron irradiated material, although a certain mutagenic effect of this agent has to be concluded from the data. Selection for a changed water-sensitivity should preferably be done on an X3 plant basis. The heritability of the water-sensitivity was further confirmed in hybridization experiments.
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call