Physical and Chemicals Mutagenesis in Plant Breeding

Abstract

World agriculture faces the challenge of food security because of the rapid growth of human population, reduced arable land area, plant productivity and climate change. Since the pioneering work on mutation of Thomas Hunt Morgan in 1910 (Am Nat 44:449–496) and the first release of an improved cultivar in tobacco in the 1930s, plant mutation breeding has become an effective breeding method. It has produced direct mutant cultivars and provided materials for further breeding. It has contributed over 3330 cultivars in more than 220 plant species. Major advantages of plant mutation breeding are: (1) mutation induction in elite materials thus little or no additional breeding is necessary, (2) fastest way of developing new improved lines, (3) applicability to all plant species and (4) generation novel traits. Today, plant mutation breeding is a much-needed weapon to combat new challenges in agriculture such as direct and indirect effects of climate change. This chapter outlines and compares methods used for physical and chemical mutagenesis for crop plant improvement. The benefits of mutation induction needed to be assessed and placed in context with respect to other options (available resources, facilities, costs, pragmatism, etc.). In this chapter, the future of mutation breeding in the light of new and exciting advances in plant sciences and technologies are discussed.