Characterisation and reproductive biology of four Physalis L. species from Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

The nutritional, medicinal and economic values of many Physalis species have been established. However, some Physalis species in Nigeria have been used interchangeably or misidentified. Consequently, there is the need to re-affirm the taxonomic status of these species. Morphological characters and SDS-PAGE were employed to identify and reveal the genetic relationship that exits among the four Physalis species studied. Furthermore, pollen fertility, pollination and germination studies were carried out in order to compile relevant information on reproductive biology of these Physalis species. The results revealed that all the four species studied are annuals. Physalis peruviana has the longest life span. The mean height of the four species studied ranged from 48.08±6.11 to 97.20±6.51 cm with the highest recorded in P. peruviana. The morphological characters subjected to SLCA grouped P. pubescens and P. peruviana together and branched at higher levels of similarity (0.98). In addition, SDS-PAGE showed that P. peruviana, P. angulata and P. pubescens are distantly related to P. micrantha. High pollen stainability (80.6% - 92.6%) was recorded in all the Physalis species studied. Therefore, from this study, it can be concluded that all the four species studied are distinct species with a common origin and they are highly fertile.