J. ENCHEVA, D. VALKOVA and P. SHINDROVA
Dobroudja Agricultural Institute, BG – 9520 General Toshevo, Bulgaria
ENCHEVA, J., D. VALKOVA and P. SHINDROVA, 2012. Sunflower mutations produced by ultrasonic treatment of immature embryos of cultivated genotype 147 R. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 578-583
Immature sunflower zygotic embryos of sunflower fertility restorer line 147 R were treated with ultrasonic before plating to embryo culture medium. Some mutant plants were isolated and self-pollinated for several generations. New sunflower forms with inherited morphological and biochemical changes were obtained through selection and self-pollination. The genetic changes occurring during the regeneration procedure included sixteen morphological and biochemical characters. As a result of our investigation, reducing of the mean values negative were registered for the most of the indices i. e. 68.8 % of the total number of studied characters. The opposite positive changes of the follow indices leaf width, leaf length, petiole length and length of branches were observed, i.e 25 % of traits. Mutation for resistance to the local population of Orobanche cumanaWallr. (race A-E) was obtained from the susceptible Bulgarian control line 147 R. Two investigated mutant restorer lines possessed 100 % resistance to Orobanche and stable inheritance in the next generations. Our results showed that mutagenesis in sunflower can be successfully used to develop new lines useful for heterosis breeding.