MUTANTS OBTAINED BY CHRONIC GAMMA IRRADIATION FROM A CARPATHIAN-UKRAINIAN LOCAL SOYBEAN [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] VARIETY: I. M3 AND M4 GENERATIONS

Mutant soybean germplasm was developed from a Carpathian-Ukrainian local variety, using 100–300 Gy chronic gamma irradiation to obtain lines with improved oil and/or protein content. The mutant germplasm was developed by the pedigree method. Selection for high oil and protein content started in the M3 generation. Plants with 24.1 and 23.6% oil content in the seeds were detected in the M4 generation. There were negative, moderate (r = –0.4) and significant (P<0.1 and P<0.01) correlations between the oil content and the 1000-seed weight in both the M3 and M4 generations. The fatty acid composition in the seeds of plants with high oil content was favourable. It is suggested that selection for oil content in the seeds should be started in the M4 generation. Due to the limited genetic variation for protein content no mutant genotypes with higher protein content than that of the control could be identified.