Determining Some Yield and Quality Characteristics of Mutants Induced from a Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Cultivar

Authors: MEHMET ALİ SAKİN, AHMET YILDIRIM, SABRİ GÖKMEN

Abstract: Mutation breeding is one of the breeding methods used successfully in durum wheat for selecting lines with increased agronomic values. The aim of this study was to select mutant lines having a better agronomic potential than the mother variety Gediz-75 in the M_6 and M_7 generations. The mutants were derived from the variety Gediz-75 of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). The seeds were either irradiated with gamma rays at Cobalt 60 (^{60}Co) or treated with ethyl-methane-sulfonate (EMS). Eighteen selected mutants and the mother variety Gediz-75 were examined in the M_6 and M_7 generations for yield and quality characteristics. The experiments were organized in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Gdem-2 and Gdem-12 showed yield stability across different environments, but the increases were not significant compared with Gediz-75. Therefore, more information on the new years and locations would greatly facilitate the evaluation of these lines. Gdem-4 had percentages of yellowberry kernels close to those of Gediz-75 in M_7. This high quality line is a promising parent candidate for quality breeding. The utilization of the high spike length of Gdem-2-1 by crossing to the mother variety or other varieties could give rise to new lines whose agronomic features could be superior to those of both parents.

Keywords: durum wheat, mutant, mutation breeding, yield, yellowberry kernel

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