Q.Write a short note on 'Mutational breeding'.

Mutational breeding is a crop-improvement method in which physical (X-rays, gamma rays, UV) or chemical (EMS, colchicine) mutagens are used to artificially induce mutations in seeds/propagules, generating new genetic...

Mutational breeding uses induced mutations, followed by selection, to create improved crop varieties.

Mutational breeding is a method of crop improvement in which seeds, pollen, or vegetative propagules are deliberately exposed to physical mutagens (such as X-rays, gamma rays, or UV radiation) or chemical mutagens (such as ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) or colchicine) to induce random mutations in their DNA at a higher frequency than occurs naturally. The treated material is grown, and the resulting plants are screened over successive generations for desirable heritable changes — such as higher yield, disease resistance, better grain quality, or dwarf stature. Plants showing beneficial mutations are selected and multiplied to establish new, improved varieties. This technique has been used to develop several …