Growth and yield performance of X-ray irradiated cucumber

Abstract

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a very important fruit which makes its demand and consumption continually on the increase all over the world. X-ray is an ionizing radiation and a physical mutagen with great potentials in creating artificial variability in crops. The employment of x-ray irradiation has been underutilized in plant mutagenesis, hence this study sought to determine its effect on the germination and agro-morphological traits of cucumber. Cucumber seeds were obtained from an agro-allied store and exposed to x-ray radiation from a source 70 KVA at a distance of 90cm and doses 10, 20, 30 and 40mAs. The field experiment was carried out in duplicate using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Irradiated and unirradiated (control) seeds were sown directly on a total of ten prepared plots measuring 2.44 by 1.50 m. The result generated in this study show a positive shift at the higher doses (30 and 40 mAs) with reduced number of days to fruit maturity and increased number of fruits per plant when compared to the control and other doses. A strong positive correlation was observed among some traits studied, indicating the possibility of such traits being under the influence of the same gene and the ability to be inherited together. Zonata, a chlorophyll mutant was observed at 30 mAs indicating how successful the dose was in inducing beneficial mutation on the Cucumber. Higher doses of x-ray irradiation as used in this study is therefore recommended for the genetic improvement of other vegetable and under developed crops.