Ten cultivarsof cowpea grown in the screen house facility at Botanical garden, University of

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a perishable fruit with a relatively short shelf life. The quality and nutritional value of fresh produce like tomato are affected by postharvest handling and storage conditions. This work aimed at evaluating the effects of storage methods on the shelf life and proximate composition of four varieties of local (Hausa and Yoruba Nigeran land races) and improved (Tropimech and Roma VF) tomato. The mature green fruits of each variety were manually harvested and stored. Three storage structures were employed viz., plastic crate, raffia basket and pot-in-pot refrigerator. Three botanical preservatives (plant byproducts) were used viz., wood ash from shea butter tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), sawdust from African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) and rice (Oryza sativa) straw. Each preservative was mixed with each variety of tomatoes in 1:2 ratios (1.75 kg of preservative to 3.50 kg of fruits) in each storage device. Shelf life was determined when more than 50% of fruits showed symptoms of shrinkage or spoilage (fruit rot). Proximate analysis was carried out for the amounts of moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude protein, crude lipid and carbohydrate in the stored fruits. Shelf life of all the varieties was enhanced by pot-in-pot refrigerator. Proximate analysis revealed that moisture was highest, followed by carbohydrate in all varieties irrespective of storage structure and preservative. The improved varieties showed higher values of all the proximate parameters when compared to the two local varieties (Hausa and Yoruba).Out of the storage structures, pot-inpot refrigerator seems to be more suitable to enhance shelf life of tomato fruits without compromising its quality.

The study assessed the genetic diversity of pearl millet accessions grown in Nigeria and India based on morpho-agronomic traits in order to identify genotypes with superior characters which could be utilized in breeding programmes. Twenty-four pearl millet accessions were grown and evaluated for agronomic and morphological traits during the dry and wet seasons of 2015-2016. Data collected on the accessions using standard descriptors were analysed statistically. IP22281 had the highest mean plant height (108.90 cm) while NGB00531 recorded the lowest (61.02 cm). Significant intra-specific variation existed in number of leaves per plant, leaf length, leaf width, number of nodes and internode length, however, stem girth was similar for the accessions. Tillering was generally poor with the highest value (1.60 tillers per plant) found in NGB00531. A significant positive correlation occurred between plant height, number of leaves, leaf length and leaf width. Panicles emerged between 44 and 56 days and NGB00548 had the shortest maturity time. Also, panicle length and peduncle diameter varied significantly for the accessions. The highest grain yield and 1000-grain weight were recorded in NGB00616 and the lowest yield and weight were recorded in IP22269. The principal component analysis grouped the accessions into four clusters, comprising mixtures of Nigerian and Indian members. Similarly, the dendrogram grouped the accessions into two main groups which were sub-divided into smaller clusters with accessions from Nigeria and India in the same cluster. The study concludes that variations in morpho-agronomic and yield characters among the accessions studied could be harnessed for crop improvement. The clustering pattern of these accessions indicated their genetic relatedness, possibly from the same progenitor, but separation by geographical or ecological isolation mechanisms.

Objective: Mutagenesis has been used in several crop improvement programmes but only on a very limited scale for Digitaria improvement and in order to further strengthen the existing conventional improvement methods, we report enrichment of Digitaria exilis variability by exploiting the effects of gamma radiation of different doses on yield and growth of the crop. Methodology and Results: Digitaria exilis seeds were exposed to gamma irradiation (20Gy, 40Gy, 80Gy, and 100Gy) from 60 Co source and irradiated seeds were sown for evaluation. The effects of the irradiation doses were studied on germination, seedling characters, growth, and yield parameters at maturity. Days to emergence and percentage germination were enhanced at low irradiation doses with 80Gy producing optimally. Plant height, tillering and number of leaves were significantly affected by gamma irradiation and analysis of obtained data showed irradiation significantly affects percentage seed-set, number of spikes/tiller and number of spikelets/spike. Also, early maturity was achieved among irradiated plants and 100-grain weight was highest at 80Gy. Conclusion: Plant from 80Gy irradiation dose performed optimally for all the characters evaluated in this study. Hence, 80Gy or slightly low dosage form of gamma irradiation using cobalt (60) could be utilised to increase variability and yield in Digitaria exilis. The new or modified traits so created could be screened for the possibility of isolating and selection of mutants that are promising for further improvement breeding programmes.

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