JUVENILE MORPHOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR MALENESS IN FLUTED PUMPKIN (TELFAIRIA OCCIDENTALIS HOOK F.)

ABSTRACT

Six hundred seeds extracted from nine pods of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) were sown in the field in 2004 and 2005 to determine the juvenile morphological markers for maleness. The results showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the male and female fluted pumpkin with respect to days to tendril emergence. The mean number of days to tendril emergence for the males was 19 (in 2004) and 20 (in 2005) days after planting while that of the females was 47 (in 2004) and 43 (in 2005) days after planting, respectively. The tendrils produced by the male fluted pumpkin were 5.7 and 5.0 while those produced by the female counterpart were 2.0 and 2.2 at 2 weeks after planting in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The difference in these values were also significant suggesting that the females had fewer tendrils while the males were more prolific in tendril production. The distribution of the male and female plants with respect to number of leaves from emergence to  12  weeks  after planting  appears to  suggest that  the female plants produced leaves more profusely than the male plants. The frequency distribution with respect to the length of main vine showed skewness to right in favour of the females indicating that the females grew faster thereby producing longer vine than the males. The early and profuse production of tendrils are phenotypic markers that distinguish the male from the female plants at the early growth stages of fluted pumpkin. These indicators can therefore be used to identify and possibly cull male plants at the early growth stage by fluted                                                      pumpkin                                                      growers.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) is a leafy vegetable of great economic importance. It belongs to the family, cucurbitaceae and originated from tropical West Africa (Irvine, 1969; Esiaba 1983). It is a herbaceous perennial crop although it is cultivated as an annual crop especially under the traditional farming system in West Africa. Fluted pumpkin has a vigorous perennial vine growing up to 10 m or more in length under favourable conditions (Rice et al., 1986). It produces tendrils that support the vine. Fluted pumpkin is dioecious with male and female flowers borne on different plants (Asiegbu,

1985). Cross pollination in fluted pumpkin is undertaken by insects and after fertilization, the seeds produced are enclosed by young drupe-like pods which usually contain seeds for male and female plants. Fluted pumpkin is mostly cultivated in the rainy season but can also be grown in the dry season with irrigation. The crop can therefore be grown and sold all the year round thus providing a good source of income to farmers.

Fluted  pumpkin  is  grown  mainly for  the  leaves  which  constitute  an  important component of the diet in many West African countries (Gill, 1988). Farmers harvest the leaves either for consumption or for sale. Large succulent leaves attracts higher price than the small and poor quality leaves. The female plants are endowed with large succulent leaves while the male plants produce leaves that are scrawny, small and less attractive. Farmers therefore prefer the females to the males. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to differentiate the males from the females until the plants begins to flower. At this stage of development, the male plants begin to show signs of senescence and leaf yield drops. Overcoming this agronomic problem has been a major challenge to fluted pumpkin farmers in tropical West Africa. Sex-linked chromosomal markers would help distinguish the female plants from the male plants at early stage of their growth. These juvenile markers may not easily be identified by many fluted pumpkin growers for lack of basic training. Visible phenotypic traits will be better appreciated by this group of farmers. It is important to have information on morphological markers in fluted pumpkin as an early guide for farmers who are more interested in the female plants. This study was initiated to address this need. The objective is therefore to identify the morphological markers for maleness in fluted pumpkin at the juvenile growth stage.

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