Induction of genetic variability in oat
Jefferson Luis Meirelles Coimbra, Daniel Schwantes, Juliano Garcia Bertoldo, and Mauricio Marini Kopp
Genetic variability in plants can be maximized through techniques of induction to make selection of genotypes with improved adaptation to cultivation conditions possible. For oat, these techniques are important for a sustainable development through plant breeding programs in southern Brazil. The effects of mutagens (one physical: 60Co gamma rays and two chemical agents: ethyl – methanesulfonate and methyl-methanesulfonate) were compared in the segregating M2 and M3 generations derived from artificial hybridization and induced mutation to compare mechanisms of widening the genetic variability of oat. The methodologies increased the genetic variability in the trait vegetative cycle effectively, by either increasing or reducing the number of days from emergence to full heading; both can be applied in oat breeding programs.