Selection of induced mutants to be used as genetic tools in pepper breeding suitable for growing in different agricultural systems

The Government of Turkey has started to promote activities in plant breeding and seed industry. At this frame, the private companies have already started to market hybrid varieties developed by using parental lines improved from other F1 varieties in a highly successful manner. There is an ample scope in using genetic tools to increase efficiency of such programs and in order to compete better with the varieties of abroad companies. Following this gap and need, we propose to develop genetic tools by induced mutagenesis in the heterozygous backgrounds of pepper hybrid varieties of Mert and Ergenekon by gamma rays. Selection for morpho-physiologic, reproductive and marker traits was performed in F2M2 generation following by their confirmation of the selected potential mutants in F3M3. For this objectives, 1000 F1 pepper seeds were used for one irradiation dose. In order to consider chimera, fruits were harvested from at least three different part of the individual plants in F1M1. Following generation, obtained 1299 individual plants from F1M1 generation were grown as families in F2M2. Some of traits like fruit shape, sterility, excessive flowering, determinate growth habit, fruit size and thickness, leaf abnormalities were observed as a potential mutant candidates. In F2M2 generation 28 mutants were isolated and confirmed in F3M3 generation. Consequently; it seems that, confirmation of some mutant quantitative traits requires replicated experiments and consideration in point of benefit and characterising of sterile plants, which would increase the number of mutants confirmed.