Abstract
In two light-controlled experiments conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the effects of six photoperiods (8, 10, 12, 14, 16 hours and natural photoperiod) on growth and flower induction in six accessions of bambara groundnut (TVsu 1023, TVsu 745, TVsu 323/764, TVsu 11, TVsu 9 and Yaudu (local) were studied at two different periods of the year. In experiment one, the design used was a 6 x 6 factorial arrangement laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. The second experiment was a 5 x 6 factorial in CRD with three replications. In the first photoperiodic experiment (May 9, 1992 and August 10, 1992), Yaudu (local), TVsu 745, TVsu 11, TVsu 1023 and TVsu 9 showed a quantitative short day response to the number of leaves produced per plant, number of days to flower bud emergence and to anthesis. In the second growth chamber experiment (October 1992 to January 1993), TVsu 745, TVsu 764, TVsu 11, TVsu 1023 and Yaudu local exhibited a quantitative short day response in their number of days to flower bud emergence and to anthesis. As a result, they could be planted around July to take advantage of the short photoperiods of October to December for good crop.Key words: photoperiodism, bambara groundnut, accessions, anthesis, number of flowers, leaf area
Highlights
Life processes of many plants have been shown to be influenced by the relative lengths of day and night (Linnemann, 1993; Craufurd et al, 2007)
The TVsu 1023, Tvsu 764, TVsu 745, TVsu 323, TVsu 11 and TVsu 9 accessions of bambara groundnut used for the experiment were obtained from the germplasm of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria
Among accessions grown between May 1992 and August 1992, TVsu 745 and TVsu 1023 showed a quantitati(vde) short day response to number days to flower bud emergence and to anthesis and as a result, should be planted between June and July for a good crop
Summary
Life processes of many plants have been shown to be influenced by the relative lengths of day and night (Linnemann, 1993; Craufurd et al, 2007). The distribution and time of maturity of different crops and crop varieties are influenced by photoperiodic responses, which when not well utilized in programming production (e.g. in the choice of planting date) may limit crop productivity. N-fixing legume crops may be a good component of a general plan to improve cropping system efficiency For this purpose, crop suitability to specific environments must be established (Confalone et al, 2009). Local accession alongside some other accessions as an aid for selecting varieties most suitable for the local conditions and conditions at different periods of the year. This will help to improve on the yield and reduce substantial loss of buds, flowers and immature pods due to unfavourable environments. The objective of the investigation here reported was to evaluate of the photoperiodic responses of six (6) bambara groundnut accessions as an aid to the choice of planting date for the different accessions under the local natural photoperiodic conditions
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