INDUCTION OF GENETIC VARIABILITY IN SESAME (SesamumindicumL.) WITH SODIUM AZIDE

An evaluation of the mutagenic efficiency and mutagenic effectiveness of fast neutron and sodium azide to induce genetic variability and beneficial mutation on Sesamumindicumwas carried out.The seeds of sesame were subjected to four treatments (0.5mM, 1.0mM, 1.5mM and 2.0mM) of sodium azide. The treatments were laid out in a completely randomized block design. Harvested seeds from M1generation were sown to raise the M2. The mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of sodium azide in sesame was 2.27% and 0.72%, respectively. Mutagenic effectiveness was dose dependent. A nonlinear decline in mutagenic efficiency was observed with increasing concentration and dose of sodium azide. Upon comparism with the control, sodium azide induced beneficial variabilities on the agronomic traits evaluated at M2generation. Best growth recorded in most of the morphological and yield traits evaluated was at 0.5mM concentration of sodium azide concentration. Broad sense heritability estimates for the agronomic traits evaluated ranged from 1.11% to 97.82%. High heritabilities obtained in days to flowering (97.82%) and thousand seed weight (87.50%) indicates that variation for these characters are due to high additive gene effects and consequently the scope for improving yield through selection for these traits in sesame is high.