Journal of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Effects of Induced Mutagenesis and Single Crossing on Agronomic Traits of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.,)
G. G. Githinji, R. K. Birithia

Abstract
Wheat is a major food crop worldwide and ranks second after maize in Kenya. Mutation breeding is extensively applied as supplements to conventional plant breeding as a source of increasing variability and could confer a specific improvement without significantly altering its phenotype. The present experiment was set out to determine the effects of induced mutagenesis on agronomic traits in mutant wheat. The experiment was carried out at the University of Eldoret under green house conditions from May-August 2013. The experiment was laid in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The following parameters were used for the study; number of tillers, plant height, number of spikelet’s/spike, spike length and days to 50% heading. The data obtained were analyzed by Genstat software and mean separated by Duncan multiple range tests. It was found that mutation had a significant effect on number of tillers, plant height, spike length and days to heading at P<.001.

Full Text: PDF