Morphological Evaluation of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L) Germplasm from North Central Zones of Nigeria.

Abstract

Twelve accessions of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) germplasm, collected from five states of northern Nigeria (Kaduna, Niger, Nassarawa, Kogi, and Benue) were evaluated for morphological characteristics during the cropping season of 2012 at the experimental field of the Department of Biological Science, Federal University of Technology, Minna using a Randomized complete Block Design (RCBD). Data WAS collected for Plant height, Length of petiole, No of leaves/plant, Number of branches per plant and the Leaf surface Area per plant. While accessions NG01 showed the highest plant height at 2 weeks after planting, accessions KG01 and NA01 showed the least although all these were not significantly different. Several of the accessions were identified as showing good attributes for characters such as number of leaves and numbers of branches which are also yield indicators for both grain and oil. These accessions are potential candidates for further selection and breeding objectives. The results achieved therefore can be used for improvement of sesame in the north central part of Nigeria.