Abstract
The morphological characteristics of 12 selected sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes, from five states in northern part of Nigeria (Kaduna, Niger, Nassarawa, Kogi, and Benue), were evaluated during the 2012 cropping season at the Department of Biological Sciences experimental field, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria using a randomized block design. The objective of the experiment was to assess the performances of all the selected genotypes based on morphological parameters such as plant height, petiole length, number of leaves/plant, number of branches per plant and leaf surface area per plant. While NG01 had the tallest plants 2 weeks after planting, KG01 and NA01 had the shortest plants. Seven genotypes; (KD, NG-01, NG-02, NA-01, BE-01, KG-01 and KG-02 had positive characteristics (such as higher number of leaves and high number of branches) which could bring about high yield. These findings suggest that some of the genotypes could be potential parents for inclusion in future breeding programmes aimed at improving S. indicum in northern Nigeria. Key words: Sesamum indicum L., morphological characteristics, genotypes.
Highlights
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.; Pedaliaceae family) is an annual plant that is considered to be one of the most important and oldest oil crops (Noorka et al, 2011) that has been under cultivation in Asia for over 5000 years (Bisht et al, 1998)
These findings suggest that some of the genotypes could be potential parents for inclusion in future breeding programmes aimed at improving S. indicum in northern Nigeria
Twelve sesame genotypes used in this study were collected from local farmers in sesame-growing regions in collaboration with Nigeria’s Agricultural Development Project (ADP) of the states of the North central zones, namely Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Benue, and Nassarawa
Summary
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.; Pedaliaceae family) is an annual plant that is considered to be one of the most important and oldest oil crops (Noorka et al, 2011) that has been under cultivation in Asia for over 5000 years (Bisht et al, 1998). The crop originates predominantly from East Africa, with fewer germplasms from India (Nayar and Mehra, 1970; Baydar, 1999; Bedigian, 2003). Sesame is an important source of high quality oil and protein (IPGRI and NBPGR, 2004). The oil has an excellent stability due to the presence of natural antioxidants such as sesamolin and sesamin (Brar and Ahuja, 1979; Kamal-Eldin, 1993). The fatty acid composition of its oil varies considerably among different cultivars worldwide (Yermanos et al, 1972).
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