Immature zygotic embryos of sunflower fertility restorer line 147 R were treated with ultrasound before plating to embryo culture medium. Some mutant plants were isolated and self-pollinated for several generations. New sunflower forms with inherited morphological and biochemical changes were obtained through selection and self-pollination. Genetic changes that occurred during the regeneration procedure included fifteen morphological and biochemical characters. In this study, negative genetic changes were registered for most of the indices. Positive changes were registered for leaf petiole length and number of leaves. Plant height was the least stable of all characters under study. Mutation for resistance to the local population of Orobanche cumana (race A-E) was obtained from the susceptible Bulgarian control line 147 R. All five investigated mutant restorer lines possessed 100% resistance to Orobanche and stable inheritance in subsequent generations. Our results showed that mutagenesis in sunflower can be successfully used to develop new lines useful for heterosis breeding.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations throughout the world. Vitamin A deficiency affects hundreds of millions of pre-school age children in low income countries. Fruits of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) can be a major dietary source of precursors to Vitamin A biosynthesis, such as β-carotene. Recently, pepper breeding programs have introduced the orange-fruited (of) trait of the mutant variety Oranzheva kapiya, which is associated with high fruit β-carotene concentrations, to the mutant variety Albena. In this manuscript, concentrations of β-carotene and mineral elements (magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron and copper) were compared in fruit from P31, a red-fruited genotype derived from the variety Albena, and M38, a genotype developed by transferring the orange-fruited mutation (of) into Albena. It was observed that fruit from M38 plants had greater β-carotene concentration at both commercial and botanical maturity (4.9 and 52.7 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively) than fruit from P31 plants (2.3 and 30.1 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively). The mutation producing high β-carotene concentrations in pepper fruits had no detrimental effect on the concentrations of mineral elements required for human nutrition.

One of the main directions in common winter wheat breeding is toward achieving high results with regard to yield and production potential. An important prerequisite for this is the including in breeding of new gene plasma with variable origin adequate to the growing environments and the desired goal.The aim of this investigation was to study the productivity and the elements of yield of foreign winter wheat cultivars under the conditions of Dobrudzha region.The investigation was carried out during 2011 -2013 in the trial field of Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute (DAI). Twenty-four cultivars of foreign origin were tested. Their yield was compared to two standards: Enola and Sadovo 1. The cultivars were planted in harvest plots each of 10 m 2 in two replications. The structural elements of yield were analysed, as well as some traits and properties characterizing the variation of the separate wheat cultivars. The following traits related to productivity were investigated: vegetation period, plant height yield, number of productive tillers, grain weight per spike, number of grains per spike and 1000 kernel weight. Cultivars Kantata, Sonata, Sixtus and Podoima demonstrated highest production potential realizing a yield of more than 8 t/ha, averaged for the three years of investigation. Highest variation was observed in the traits grain weight per spike and number of grains per spike. The above mentioned genotypes are suitable cultivars which can be successfully involved in the breeding program of DAI with regard to the index yield.

No abstract

In order to determine the race composition and distribution of broomrape in Bulgaria during the period 2007 -2011, samples (seeds) of the parasite were collected in 116 different locations from the main sunflower production regions. The collected seeds were used to infect differential sets of genotypes by a standard methodology.