Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops

Bud mutations

• If mutation occurs in any one of the actively dividing meristematic tissues, the branch arising from them, expresses the mutant character if it is dominant and this phenomenon is known as bud mutation .Though mutation is most frequent at maturation divisions, it may also arise in somatic cells. If mutation occurs in cells from which buds are developed, the later are genetically different from the rest of the plant. These are termed “bud mutation” or “sports”.


• The frequency of such mutations is very low to be of any economic importance, which is also different in different species. The bud mutation may arise through
(1) gene mutation or
(2) chromosomal variation. Bud variations have been noted in sugarcane.



• This was first noted by Lorzier in Mauritius in 1869. Other instances of sporting are Ribbon canes of Australia, Truna canes of Mauritius and Tip canes of Hawaii which are found to throw bud variations. Barber (1906) noted bud sports in the sugarcane at Samalkota. Striped-Mauritius often sported into green canes and less often into red types. The bud sports not only varied in the colours on rind but also in some of the agricultural characters. Bud sports are frequent in ornamental plants and many new garden varieties have been established by selection of such sports.


• Economic types from bud sports in the case of field crops are rare. Though bud sports have been noted in crops like potato, they have not been found to be of economic type. Superior varieties in citrus have been evolved by selecting bud mutant. It is reported that in 18 years prior to 1937, about 10 million buds of varieties which originated by bud mutation have been sold in California alone. Robertson Navel orange and Dawn grape fruit are some notable examples of new varieties arising through bud mutation.