ISSN 2375-1231
African Journal of Crop Science ISSN 2375-1231 Vol. 6 (9), pp. 001-006, September, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Selection of yam seeds from open pollination for adoption in yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) production zones in Nigeria
Amanze N. J., Agbo N. J., Eke-Okoro O. N. and Njoku D. N.*
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, P. M. B. 7006, Umuahia, Nigeria.
Accepted 21 March, 2018
Abstract
Yam improvement through hybridization has suffered a lot of challenges over the years. Poor or non flowering of candidate parents, lack of synchrony in flowering of male and female genotypes, flowering intensity that varies with season and location, pests and diseases and other factors have serious obstacles limiting progress in yam hybrid production. This paper discussed the origin, germination and seedling characteristics, flowering and tuber formation and yield of yam landraces collected for improvement. Morphological variations were noticed among the yam landraces collected. With exception of Obiaoturugo and Amula, others produced male flowers only. Obiaoturugo gave highest leaf number, weight of tuber and vine length while Amula gave highest tuber shape index. Seeds obtained from these open pollinated fields have genetic variations from which desirable selections could be made. Also, the landrace of Dioscorea rotundata could be used as putative parent for genetic improvement.
Key words: Nigeria, hybrid, accession, flowering, diversity.