Among the available methods of creating selectable variation, induced mutagenesis has been historically under-utilized in cotton improvement. Dick Auld showed that chemical mutagenesis could be used to enhance fiber length of a medium staple cotton cultivar without sacrificing yield. The goal of this project was to determine if mutagenesis could be used to improve the fiber quality of a germplasm line already considered to be at the upper-limits of fiber length. Seed of TAM 94 L-25 were treated with EMS in 2001 and the M2 generation was produced at Lubbock, Texas in 2002. More than 1200 M3 plants were grown at College Station, Texas in 2004, harvested individually, and HVI fiber properties determined. The top and bottom 1 percent for UHML, strength, and elongation were selected and the seeds of these individuals planted as an M4 progeny row nursery in 2005. Approximately ten individual plants per progeny row were harvested for re-evaluation of fiber parameters. From the approximately 1600 individual TAM 94L-25 M4 plants harvested in 2005, 61 were selected and subsequently treated as pure lines. Agronomic performance trials were conducted on 61 of those TAM 94L-25 M lines along with the M0 check and two commercial cultivar checks, Fiber Max 832 and Phytogen 355, in 2008 and 2009 in College Station and Weslaco, Texas. Within-boll yield components were examined for 13 representative mutant lines and the three checks. TAM 94L-25 averaged 751 kg lint ha^-1, 31.1 mm UHML, 303 kN m kg^-1 fiber bundle strength, and 6.0 percent elongation. The 61 mutant lines yielded from 366 to 932 kg lint ha^-1, exhibited UHML from 24.3 to 34.9 mm, fiber bundle strengths of 261 to 333 kN m kg^-1, and elongations from 5.4 to 8.1 percent. Seed surface area of the TAM 94L-25 M-lines was between 99 and 124 mm^2, and fibers per unit seed surface area from 123 to 168 fibers mm^-2. The M0 parent, TAM 94L-25 averaged 125 mm^2 seed-1, and 128 fibers mm^-2. The data presented herein demonstrate that EMS-induced mutagenesis was successful in creating TAM 94L-25 M-lines with superior fiber and yield traits to that of the non-mutated, high fiber quality parent, TAM 94L-25.

Hypoxis is a diverse group of perennial geophytic herbs characterised by hairy leaves and yellow (seldom white) star-shaped flowers. The genus comprises about 70 species with a distribution in the warmer parts of all continents except Europe. With one third of the taxa, the Flora of southern Africa region (South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana) is the most species rich for the genus world-wide. A taxonomic revision of the genus in southern Africa was undertaken; 28 species are recognised, one, H. nivea having been newly described. Morphological data were gathered through field observations and specimens kept in cultivation as well as herbarium specimens. Habit, leaf dimensions, inflorescence type and distribution of hairs on leaves were found to provide reliable diagnostic characters for species separation. These characters in combination with geographical distribution patterns were applied in drawing up a key to species in the Flora of southern Africa region. The treatment also includes brief notes on diagnostic characters and relationships, distribution and ecology, etymology, red data status and common names for each taxon. Nine species are data deficient due to insufficient collections or type specimens still to be located, and remain unresolved. Evidence from vegetative anatomy, seed micromorphology and preliminary phytochemistry were used to test possible phylogenetic relationships among species inferred from macromorphology. A few members of the southern African Hypoxis are of medicinal importance as their rhizomes are a rich source of hypoxoside which in its hydrolysed form has been shown to inhibit the growth of some cancer cells. Based largely on a literature survey, a review of the ethnobotany of the Hypoxidaceae, denoting the food, medicinal and magical value of members of the family is also offered. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Plant Science / unrestricted