EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON YIELD AND ITS COMPONENTS IN SOYBEAN (GLYCINE MAX L. MERRIL)

Abstract

This study aimed to improve the productivity of soybean through generating essential genetic variability and useful mutations by using different doses of gamma rays and their effect on the genetic behavior of the traits studied. To achieve these goals, seeds of four cultivars ·of soybean i.e., Giza 21, Giza 35, Giza 82 and Crowford were exposed to four doses of gamma rays(0,20,40 and 60 Gy) and then sown immediately after irradiation in the field to raise up My, M and M, mutagenic populations. Data obtained from M and M generations were

statistically analized according to the regular analysis of variance of split plot design with three replications. The studied characters were plant height, no. of branch~s/ plant, no. of pods/plant, no. of seeds/pod, no. of seeds/ plant I00-seed weight , seed yield / plant and chemical content of seeds i.e., oil % and protein % . Genetical parameters i.e., heritability in broad sense, genetic advance as percentage of the mean and phenotypic and genotypie coefficients of variation were calculated for the traits studied. Correlation coefficient between seed yield and all possible traits studied was also determined.