Morphological evaluation of some Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) germplasm from Kaduna state, Nigeria.

Abstract

Eight (8) accessions of Roselle collected from different local government areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria were evaluated for their horticultural and agronomic attributes during the cropping season of 2013 at the Biological Garden, Centre for Preliminary and Extra Mural Studies, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The objectives of the experiment were to investigate the horticultural characteristics and performance of all the Roselle entries. Results showed significant variations in many morphological and yield parameters. The variation in calyces colour was particularly very interesting. While accessions KD/HS/005 and KD/HS/008 were deep red in colour, accessions KD/HS/001, KD/HS/002, KD/HS/004 and KD/HS/006 were red in colour. Accessions KD/HS/003 and KD/HS/007 on the other hand showed green colouration. This is an indication that these accessions have different genetic bases. Significant differences were observed in the height of the accessions in all the weeks (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the number of leaves at maturity was relatively higher in accession KD/HS/004(191.00) and was significantly different from all other accessions. While the weight of capsule, the number of capsule per plant and the seed diameter, were significantly different (P < 0.05) among the Roselle accessions, the number of seeds per capsule did not show any significant difference (P > 0.05). Many of the variations observed are important for the improvement of the crop in Nigeria.