Evaluation of thirteen cultivars of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.) in Umudike, rainforest agroecological area of Nigeria.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in the 1999 and repeated in 2000 cropping season at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike to evaluate the agronomic and yield attributes of thirteen cultivars of bambara groundnut for use in crop improvement programme. The accessions collected from Enugu state were studied in randomized complete block experiment with three replications. Data were collected on plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area per plant, leaf area index (LAI), days to 50% flowering, number of flowers per plant, grain filling period, crop duration, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100-seed weight and grain yield per hectare. The results obtained in 1999 did not differ significantly from that in 2000. The significant differences (P<0.05) obtained in most of the traits suggest that there are inherent differences among the cultivars from which selections for desirable traits can be made. Results of correlation studies show that seed yield is positively correlated with all the plant attributes studied except days to 50% flowering and grain filling period. Cultivars, EN-5 and EN-4 were identified as the best performers based on the results of the rank summation index (RSI). Consequently, these two cultivars are recommended for inclusion in further improvement studies.

Keywords: Maize cultivars, yield stability, Rank Summation Index (RSI)

International Journal of Agriculture and Development Vol. 9 2007: pp. 120-122