The Effect of Gamma irradiation on Agromorphological Traits of Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Monech]

Abstract

Okra is a common Vegetable crop with numerous beneficial properties ranging from medicinal, therapeutic, food, nutritional, financial, and Industrial benefits. Seed of two okra varieties (Yarballa and Yarkaka) were exposed to four different gamma irradiation doses (0Gy, 200Gy, 300Gy, and 400Gy). The experiment was laid in a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with four replicates. The irradiated seeds and the control seeds were grown till maturity. The morphological and yield Parameters were taken. The effects of gamma irradiation at high doses decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The highest plant height (47.53 cm), number of leaves (15.88) and leaf surface area (618.79cm2) were observed in control and 200 Gy in Yarkaka and Yarballa. respectively, while number of nodes (13.00) was observed at 200gy in Yarballa and Yarkaka. Similarly, the okra varieties exhibited variation in vegetative traits. The highest weight of pod (19.47g) and length of pod (6.93cm) were observed in control and 200Gy in Yarballa respectively. The highest number of seeds (66.67) was observed at 200Gy in Yarballa. Yarballa revealed the highest weight of seeds (0.11g) and seed index (0.19g) at control. The results crop especially on the Yarballa variety which was the most responsive to the irradiation doses to ascertain the stability of the traits and to ensure a continued improvement of the variety. Keywords: Gamma irradiation, Okra, Agromorphological, Trait Introduction show that gamma irradiation significantly affects the morphological and yield traits of okra as they showed decreased in the parameters with increasing irradiation doses as compared to the control. Therefore, 200Gy performed better in terms of morphological and yield parameters as compared to the other doses. Further experiment should be conducted on this okra crop especially on the Yarballa variety which was the most responsive to the irradiation doses to ascertain the stability of the traits and to ensure a continued improvement of the variety.