Effects of Sodium Azide on Growth and Yield Traits of Eruca sativa (L.)

Eruca sativa is an important crop as medicinally as well as for salad purpose. It belongs to family Bracicaceae and being used as genetic resource to improve the other species of Brassica. The seedlings developed from treated seeds with sodium azide at concentration ranged (1x 10 to 5x10 M) showed wide -3 -3 variation in plant growth (plant height, leaf area, fresh and dry weight) upto 60 days after sowing. Among various concentrations of sodium azide, 3 mM concentration was found highly effective in all morphometric and yield traits after 60 days of sowing as compared to untreated plants. Total chlorophyll content was decreased as compared to control plants and low content of chlorophyll was found in those plants which developed from treated seeds at 5 mM concentration of sodium azide. Kew words: Bracicaceae Chlorophyll Morphometric traits Mutagen INTRODUCTION been used to improve major crops such as wheat, rice, The young plants of Eruca sativa commonly propagated. A number of workers [8-10] have reported the known as rocket plant and are highly used as a role of chemical mutagens in enhancing genetic variability salad, vegetable and as green fodder among Europeans. in higher plants. Genetic variability is the fundamental to Tender leaves are reported to have stimulant, stomachic, successful breeding programs in vegetatively and diuretic and antiscorbutic activity [1]. It contains the sexually propagated plants. The mutants so produced glucosinolate methylsulphinylbutyl isothiocyanate facilitate the isolation, identification and cloning of genes which induces enzymes activity, but it is not found in used in designing crops with improved yields, increase oilseed rape. This glucosinolate has much greater potency stress tolerance, longer shelf life and reduced agronomic than those of isothiocyanates which do occur in input [11]. It is known that various chemicals have oilseed rape. It may therefore be possible to alter the positive or negative effects on living organisms. Chemical flavor composition and the nutritional value of oilseed mutagen generally produce induced mutations which rape through the introgression of Eruca genes [2]. lead to base pair substitutions especially GC AT Mutations are the tools used by the geneticist to (guanine: cytosine adenine: tymine) resulting in amino study the nature and function of genes which are the acid changes, which change the function of proteins but building blocks and basis of plant growth and do not abolish their functions as deletions or frame shift development, thereby producing raw materials for mutations mostly do [12]. These chemomutagens induced genetic improvement of economic crops [3]. Mutation a broad variation of morphological and yield structure methodology has been used to produce many cultivars parameters in comparison to normal plants. Sodium azide with improved economic value [4] and study of genetics (NaN ), which has been demonstrated to have these and plant developmental phenomena [5, 6]. The main effects, is a mutagen and it has proved to be one of the advantage of mutation breeding is the possibility of most powerful mutagens in crop plants. It is a common improving one or two characters without changing the bactericide, pesticide and industrial nitrogen gas rest of the genotype. Induced mutations have great generator is known to be highly mutagenic in several potentials and served as a complimentary approach in organisms, including plants and animals [13-17]. The genetic improvement of crops [7]. Induced mutations have mutagenicity created by NaN is mediated through the barley, cotton, peanut and cowpea, which are seed