Abstract
Spider plant (Cleome gynandra L.) is an important African leafy vegetable (ALV) that has been used by local African communities as a source of nutrition in their diets for many years. The plant has recently attracted an increasing demand for its highly nutritive and health-promoting bioactive compounds important in combating malnutrition and reducing human degenerative diseases. Despite the great value of the spider plant, its supply and cultivation remain low, a factor attributed to unavailability of superior genotypes. This study carried out at Ruiru Sub-county, Kiambu County in Kenya sought to establish the influence of genotypic variation on spider plant phenotypic diversity for future breeding and conservations. Experimental plots were set up in the field in Ruiru using split-plot design with three replications. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the significance of variables. Results indicated that genotypes MLSF3, UGSF36, UGSF14, and MLSF17 produced the highest number of flowers, large petioles, big stem sizes and large leaf area respectively. In conclusion, the study recommends the adoption of genotypes MLSF17, UGSF14, UGSF36 and MLSF3 by farmers considering their outstanding positive effect on phenotypic traits.
Highlights
Knowledge on phenotypic diversity of the existing spider plant accessions is a milestone in the improvement of spider plant supply and cultivation
The probable attribution to this insignificance could be because the plant at seven weeks has not attained its full growth potential to express all genotypic traits inherent within MLSF3 and UGSF36 significantly produced the highest number of flowers compared to all other genotypes in the tenth week of harvesting period (P≤ 0.05)
The high number of flowers produced by MLSF3 and UGSF36 implies that the genomes are best suited for use as a source of seed for multiplication purposes
Summary
Knowledge on phenotypic diversity of the existing spider plant accessions is a milestone in the improvement of spider plant supply and cultivation. The spider plant is a highly nutritious indigenous vegetable in Kenya. Agriculture is the mainstay of Kenya’s economy providing the basis of development for other sectors of the economy. The Agricultural sector contributes about 30% of the gross domestic product and accounts for over 75% of the total labour force (MoA, 2017). It is envisaged that the sector will continue to play a leading role in stimulating and supporting the country’s economic growth mainly through the vibrant horticulture industry (HCDA, 2014). According to the Horticultural Crops Development Authority of Kenya (HCDA, 2014), vegetables contributed over 40% of the total value of horticultural production between 2011 and 2013. Thirty percent (30%) of the vegetables valued at USD 247 million were exported mainly to the European Union (HCDA, 2014)
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