Triticale as a recent and artificially developed species has a narrow genetic basis. The study of mechanisms that contibute to the increase of genetic varibility has great importance to triticale breeding and its crop expansion. The objective of this study was to compare efficiency of different methods of improving genetic variability for heading date in triticale. Hibridization and induced mutation by gamma radiation (5, 10, 20 and 40 kR dosis) were tested in the cultivars BR4 and EMBRAPA18 of triticale. For most of the treatments the results showed an increasing on the number of days to heading. There were significative increase on variances for BR4 and EMBRAPA18 in the two generations studied and alterations in the means and frequency distributions Changes that ocurred on variances suggest that a large number of minor genes with small effects were modified, contribuiting for increasing genotipic classes. Although recombination and gene segregation had been superior for lateness, genotipic classes with earlier heading date were observed, specially for the treatment 40 kR, showing feasible select early individuals. Results revealed possibility to enlarge genetic variability, enhancing efficiency of selection.
X triticosecale wittmack; gamma radiation; earliness
