Combined effects of sodium azide (NaN3) and colchicine on survival rate and growth on three varieties of tomato (solanum <I>Lycopersicum mill.</I>) in dry season

The Effect of Sodium Azide and Colchicine Induced Mutation  on Survival and Growth on Three Varieties of Tomato in Dry Season, was investigated with the aim of inducing variability that could be exploited in the improvement of some quality traits in Tomato plants. Three different treatments (chemical mutagenesis via sodium azide, and colchicines. and a combination of sodium azide with Colchicine) were applied on to the three varieties of tomato seeds. The seed of the tomato: (Roma, UC82B and Local varieties) were treated at four different concentrations of colchicine (0.1mM, 1.0 mM, 2.0 mM and 0.0 mM as control). The result obtained revealed highly significant difference (P≤0.01) in the effects of sodium azide on survival rates, leaf area, number of fruits, and pH. Significant improvement (P≤0.05) was also recorded on fruit diameter. Similarly, highly significant differences (P≤0.01) were found between the treatments in all the selected traits except on number of fruits, where no significant differences exist. The result showed that sodium azide and colchicine improve important quality traits of tomato. It was deduced that variety UC82B responds significantly to colchicine. It was concluded that, the sodiuim azide and colchicines improve some quality traits on tomato that could be grown in dry seasons. It was concluded that 0.1 mM concentration of colchicine and sodium azide improve some important quality traits of tomato that could be utilized for further improvement of tomato crop. Key Words: Sodium azide, Roma, Local variety, UC8, Mutation, Colchicine, Dry season