Clonal Assessment of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) Lines for Flower and Seed Characteristics in Jos-Plataeu, Nigeria

Abstract

A study was carried out during the wet season of 2013 at the Potato Research Farm of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Kuru, Plateau State, to assess five sweet potato clones procured from the NRCRI, Umudike, Nigeria, for flowering and seed characteristics. The clones TIS.2532.OP.1.13, TIS.87/0087, CIPM 3, CIPM 31 and Ex-Igbariam were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that the mean number of days to onset of flowering was highest in the clone CIPM 31 (102 days after planting) and lowest in the clone TIS.2532.OP.1.13 (56.67 days after planting). The highest mean number of flowers per plant was observed in the clone CIPM 31 and lowest in the clone TIS.2532.OP.1.13. The mean seed weight per plant was highest in clone TIS.2532.OP.1.13 and lowest in the clone CIPM.31. The study showed that the pattern of flowering and the potential of seed production in the sweet potato varied with clone. There is, therefore, high prospect for improving the sweet potato through hybridization and controlled pollination in the Jos-Plateau environment.