Abstract

Hordeum vulgare (barley), is an important agricultural crop for food, feed and also has been used virtually worldwide as a model plant for biological research. It is a diploid crop with a low chromosome number (2n = 14) and targeted as a proper crop for intense research on mutagenesis, mutagens and mutants (Khattak and Klopfenstein, 1989). Recently, heavy-ion beams have been used as novel and efficient mutagens in plant breeding. Many plant variations were induced by irradiation and many novel experimental materials and practical cultivars were generated. The present research aimed to estimate the effect of different gamma radiation on germination and emergence indexes of Barley variety Nosrat. Barley seeds were treated with 4 different gamma ray doses (0, 200, 700, 1200 Gy) from 3 angels. Results of this study expressed that high gamma ray doses decreased emergence index compare with control treatment and also, radiation has inhibitory effect on stem height and width. Base on experimental and green house studies doses of 700 and 1200 Gy strongly decline plant growth and treated plant seeds with these radiation doses did not emerge in the field. Therefore we suggest that 200 gamma ray dose was the best treatment to screen mutant Barley.

Key words: Barley, emergence index, gamma ray, germination index, Hordeum vulgare. mutation.