MUTATION BREEDING IN VEGETATIVELY PROPAGATED FLORICULTURAL CROPS

The possibilities of mutation breeding in vegetatively propagated crops depend on many factors, such as the genetics of the characters involved, the mutagen used, the handling of the material after treatment, the availability of a selective screening method, etc.
It is therefore important to define both the objectives of the programme and to outline the strategy very carefully.

Special attention is paid to the use of in vivo or in vitro adventitious bud techniques by which solid, non-chimeral mutants are obtained resulting in an easy and early selection and a problemless recovery and vegetative propagation.

By applying these principles in a great number of cooperative projects, a relatively large number of commercial mutants have been and are being produced in several floricultural crops.

The mutation breeding behaviour of autotetraploid Achimenes, in which a very high mutant frequency is found, is discussed as well as the question whether DTT can be used to improve the mutation spectrum.

I International Symposium on Floriculture Plant Breeding and Genetics

C. Broertjes

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1976.63.23