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A hybrid swarm involving O. sativa, O. glaberrima and O. longistaminata occuring in Jebba, Nigeria was studied to investigate the processes involved in the population dynamics. Reproductive parameters such as pollen stainability, pollen size, anther structure, seed set were investigated. The chromosomes of the hybrid population were also studied. The study reveals post-zygotic mechanism involving segregational as well as developmental hybrid sterility to be the major isolating mechanism involved the reproductive isolation existing among the parent populations in the swarm. Hybridization and introgression have played significant roles in creating this hybrid swarm which holds a lot of promise for speciation in the genus.

Cowpea coat color is a consumer-related trait that determines consumer preference and acceptability of the commodity in the market. Understanding the mode of inheritance of seed coat color will assist in choosing appropriate breeding technique in developing desirable cowpea varieties. This study was conducted to confirm the specific mode of inheritance of seed coat color in cowpea. Three bi-parental crosses using five different varieties of cowpea with contrasting seed coat colors were carried out to obtain F1 seeds at the Greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, Nigeria. The F1s were advanced to obtain F2 segregating populations which were evaluated by visual observation and the seeds were categorized into different distinct groups. The observed seeds of the F2 population of all the three crosses deviated extremely from Mendelian monogenic inheritance ratio in different degrees. TVu4669 × TVu43 segregated into two color groups resulting in brown mottled (15.4 %) and black mottled (84.6 %). Ife Brown  × TVnu699 segregated transgressively into five distinct groups of colors giving rise to brown (51.4%), black (23.7%), grey (14.8%), red (5.3%) and speckled (4.8% ); while Ife Brown × TVu2723 segregated into three color groups involving mottled black (4.3%), black (85.1%) and speckle (10.6%) coat colors. It could be inferred that more than one gene controls the inheritance of the seed coat color in cowpea, which implies that the trait is polygenic. It is recommended that molecular genetics’ techniques be explored in order to have better understanding of the mode of inheritance of seed coat color in cowpea.

The shortcomings of genotype x environment interaction  necessitated the use of molecular methods in characterizing many plant species and in determining their phylogenetic relationships. In this study, some selected cowpea lines (27 varieties) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, Kaduna and Genetic Resource Centre, IITA, Ibadan were characterized using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profiling. The protein banding profiles of the 27 cowpea varieties were scored and subjected to cluster analysis using Ward's minimum-variance method (WMVM) for dendrogram grouping. The dendrogram generated from the SDS-PAGE profiles grouped the varieties into seven clusters at 52% similarity coefficient. Hence, the biochemical characterization revealed more precise discrimination among the 27 cowpea varieties studied. Keywords: Cowpea, electrophoretic banding profiles, dendrogram grouping, total proteins

Basella alba is an important, underutilised vegetable rich in vitamins and consumed in many parts of the world. However, the reproductive biology of this species is insufficiently known; therefore, this study was performed aiming to fill this knowledge gap. Although green-stemmed and red-stemmed Basella alba share a lot of reproductive attributes in common, the obtained results showed differences in their flower bud apex colour, anther colour, spike colour, days to 50% flowering, plant height at flower bud initiation and the mean number of flowers per spike. In both forms, the floral attributes favoured self-pollination. However, the possibility of cross-pollination among them due to the activities of pollinators such as ants, moths, butterflies and bees suggests a mixed mating system. Furthermore, both forms attained sexual maturity at varying periods, thus indicating the existence of a temporal prezygotic barrier between them and limiting the chances of their hybridisation. They could also be responsible for the ability to remain in their distinct forms even when they exist together in the same habitat.

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Aims: To evaluate, identify and select superior genotypes with better agronomic traits with respect to insect resistance and yield components for the development of improved cowpea varieties. Study Design: The plants were raised using completely randomized design (CRD). Place and Duration of Study: Screen house of the Department of Botany, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between between July 2017 and January 2018. Methodology: A total of 67 Vigna accessions consisting of 36 V. vexillata and 31 V. unguiculata species were evaluated and the quantitative and qualitative attributes of the various accessions studied were documented. The data obtained in the study were subjected to univariate analysis involving descriptive statistics, as well as multivariate analysis involving the General Linear Model (GLM) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The differences among means of each variable were tested using the Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at ˂0.05 using System Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.13. Pearson Correlation Coefficient was also used to test the correlation among the quantitative attributes of the varieties studied. Results: The results of the investigation showed that there was significant variation in most of the quantitative attributes of the species studied though many of the qualitative vegetative attributes were considerably uniform. The Principal Component Analysis showed that some of the important traits that contributed significantly to the variation were number of days to seedling emergence, plant height, leaf length, leaf breadth, petiole length, pod length, pod breadth, seed length, seed breadth, number of seeds per pod and number of locules. Conclusion: From the findings obtained in this study, it could be concluded that the desirable traits of Tvnu1249 (V. vexillata) such as early maturity, and Tvnu72 (V. vexillata) with high percentage seed set and resistance to flower bud thrips could be transferred into Sanzi and Ifebrown (V. unguiculata varieties) with larger seed sizes and high percentage seed set through hybridization and other breeding techniques.

The present study evaluated the wound healing potentials of E. graminea (EG) latex. The latex of EG was screened for the presence of phytochemical constituents; in vitro antioxidant property and erythrocyte membrane stabilizing activity was used to investigate anti-inflammatory property of the latex. The wound healing potential of E. graminea latex (EGL) was investigated via incision and dead space wound models in wistar rats; eighteen wistar rats (separately for each model) were randomly divided into 3 groups (6 in each group): Group A: wound + EGL ; Group B: wound + Gentamycin (G); Group C: wound without treatment (control). Wound breaking strength (Incision model), hexuronic acid and hexosamine concentrations, activities of antioxidants biomolecules (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and reduced glutathione) as well as the levels of free radicals (nitric oxide-NO, malondialdehyde-MDA) were evaluated in the granulation tissue (dead space model) of experimental rats. The result of the study revealed that EGL tested positive for the presence of saponins, alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides. Also, EGL contained an appreciable concentration of total flavonoids and phenolics. The latex exhibited mild ferric reducing power, inhibited DPPH in dose dependent manner as well as protected red blood cells against hypotonic and heat induced lyses. In wound incision model, EGL exhibited 13.6 % increase in wound breaking strength when compared to the control animals. Also, in dead space wound model, there was significant increase (p < 0.05) in hexoxamine, hexuronic acid and GSH concentrations as well as SOD activity in EGL and gentamycin treated wound compared to the control. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in MDA concentration in EGL and gentamycin treated wound compared to the control while NO level and catalase activity showed no significant difference. This study revealed that EGL contained potentially bioactive molecules that could be employed in the treatment of wound.