CORRELATION BETWEEN MACROMUTANTS AND SOLASODINE CONTENT IN SOLANUM VIARUM

Abstract

The seeds of Solanum vi arum were treated with 0.5 % EMS for 4 and 8 hours as well as with gamma rays from 10 to 40 kR to obtain mutants with higher solasodine content. The macromutants from R₂ and M₂ generations showing variability in height, branching, leaf size and weight, number of berries and their size were studied comparatively in respect of solasodine content. It is concluded that the solasodine content is directly related to the total quantity of photosynthetic tissue in the plant. A mutant containing as high as 3 % solasodine is recommended for large scale cultivation.