Mutagenic sensitivity, effectiveness and efficiency of gamma rays and ethyl methane sulphonate on soft and semi-hard bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) varieties in the north-western Himalayan climate.

It was found that semi-hard textured varieties showed higher sensitivity to chemical mutagens as compared to soft-textured varieties. Gamma irradiation dose of 250-300 Gy and ethyl methane sulphonate concentration of 0.7-1.3% were found to be most effective and efficient across four bread wheat varieties and can be used in large scale mutagenesis programmes.