The present study was conducted to assess the impact of chemical (sodium azide and ethyl methane sulfonate) and physical (gamma rays) mutagens on the growth, yield attributes, and protein content of Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper in the M1 generation. Significant variability was observed among the treatments for germination rate, plant height, number of pods and seeds, and seed yield. Among chemical treatments, SA at 0.02% and EMS at 0.10% showed the most promising results, with EMS 0.10% recording the highest protein content (26.04%) and SA 0.02% producing the highest seed yield (6.86 g per plant). Gamma radiation at 10 kR also showed favourable effects on yield traits but was less effective than chemical treatments in enhancing protein levels. Higher doses of both mutagen types generally had adverse effects on plant performance. The study concludes that low to moderate doses of EMS and SA are effective in improving both agronomic performance and nutritional quality, and recommends their use in black gram breeding programs to develop high-yielding, protein-rich cultivars

Vigna mungo, chemical mutagens, physical mutagens, high-yield, protein-rich

From the present study, it can be concluded that both chemical and physical mutagens induced significant variability in growth and yield-related traits in the M1 generation of black gram. Among the treatments, SA at 0.02% proved most effective in enhancing yield parameters, such as number of pods per plant (21.5), seeds per pod (6.1), and seed yield per plant (6.86 g), while EMS at 0.05% resulted in the highest plant height (49.9 cm). Gamma radiation at 10 kR was also effective, producing a high number of pods (21.1) and seeds per pod (5.66), along with a notable seed yield (6.81 g). In contrast, higher doses of EMS and gamma rays showed a reduction in most traits, indicating possible cytotoxic effects. Chemical mutagens, particularly EMS at 0.10% and SA at 0.02%, significantly enhanced protein content in Vigna mungo, reaching 26.04% and 26.02%, respectively. In contrast, higher doses of gamma rays, such as 40 kR, reduced protein content to 20.75%. These results suggest that chemical treatments are more effective than physical mutagens for improving nutritional quality. Therefore, lower concentrations of SA and gamma rays are recommended for inducing beneficial mutations in black gram breeding programs

Budhavant V.B. and Ambhore J.S. (2025). Impact of Different Mutagens on Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper. Biological Forum, 17(8): 33-36