The experiment was carried out to induce variability in the sunflower varieties Morden and CO 4 (TNAUSUF 7) by a physical mutagen, i.e., gamma rays. The LD 50 value was fixed at 15 kR for both varieties based on germination percentage. Progressive decreases in germination and survival with increase in gamma ray dose were recorded in the M 1 generation. Stimulatory and inhibitory effects were noticed in quantitative characters with lower and higher doses, respectively. The mean expression and variability in quantitative characters increased considerably in the M 2 generation. The different mutagenic treatments showed an inconsistent relationship with respect to mutagen mean and variability. However, considerable increase in variance was observed in traits such as plant height, seed yield per plant and oil content. Regarding seed yield per plant, heritability and genetic advance were maximum at 20 kR and 5 kR in the genotypes Morden and CO 4, respectively.

A dwarf mutant has been derived from M 2 gamma irradiated Morden population of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The dwarf mutant has the height of 35 cm and the earliness of 65 days. This mutant has been selfed and forwarded to the M 3 and M 4 generations and it did not deviate significantly from the expected segregation ratio since it has the recessive monogenic character. Althogh the earliness and height showed a drastic reduction, the seed yield and oil content were on par with the parent Morden.

The present study was undertaken to develop an alternative idli from proso millet with horse gram and fenugreek seeds. Two types of wet batters (Batter A & Batter B) were prepared by soaking     the ingredients proso millet, horse gram and fenugreek separately (in the ratio by weight 7:2:1) in excess water for 8 hours at room temperature (25±2ºC). In method A, the ingredients were soaked in excess water and whereas in method B, fenugreek was soaked in buttermilk. The soaked ingredients were ground separately with adequate amount of water using a grinder and mixed with the addition of 1% salt. The resulting batter was fermented for 10 hours at room temperature. The batter was analyzed for its microbial load (Total Plate Count, Lactobacillus and Yeast and Mold) and physico-chemical properties (height rise, pH and titratable acidity) by drawing aliquots at fixed intervals. Microbial analysis revealed maximum load at 6th hour of fermentation for TPC, LAB and Yeast growth. Suppressing activity of the organisms was seen after this stage and there was                  a sharp decline in microbial growth (LAB and Yeast). The pH and total titratable acidity ranged between 4.88-6.20 and 0.19–0.51% respectively. The nutritional analysis and sensorial acceptance of the idli formulated with both the batters were also studied. Both the idlis were found to have                   a two-fold increase in protein content and a 50% reduction in carbohydrate content when compared with the traditional rice idli. The sensory analysis was conducted with 100 untrained panelists and the results revealed that idli prepared from Batter A was preferred. A dry ready to cook idli mix was also formulated and was studied for the above said properties. The study highlights that proso millet, horse gram and fenugreek can be used as an effective alternative for preparation of idli.