Morphogical effects of sodium azide on tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> Mill)

Abstract

Dry seeds of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentun Mill), varieties T106, T244 and T420 obtained from the Institute of Agriculture Research, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria were treated with sodium azide at concentrations of 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mM aimed at determining the effects of the mutagen on the morphological features of tomato. Highly significant differences (P<0.01) were observed in the varieties and treatments with respect to the studied traits (seed germination, seedling survival, seedling height, root length, number of leaves per seedling, height at maturity, number of branches per plant and fruits per plant). Treatment and variety interactions were similarly highly significant (P<0.01) with respect to all traits except height at maturity. Variety T106 showed better performance when compared to T244 and T420. It is concluded that sodium azide could be utilized to induce variability for the improvement of tomato.

Keywords: Sodium azide, chemical mutagen, induced mutation, tomato.