The Bioscientist (May 2013)
Collecting West African Okra (Abelmoschus Caillei (A. Chev.) Stevel) Germplasm from Traditional Agriculture in Parts of Southwestern Nigeria
Abstract
Considerable number of Nigerian farmers practice traditional agriculture. Specific germplasm collection mission for West African Okra (Abelmoschus caillei (A. Chev.) Stevel) was carried out in Delta, Edo and Ondo States, Southern Nigeria. These areas lie within the humid and sub humid tropical rain forest zone with diverse relief, climate and vegetation. The work is an attempt at proper documentation of A. caillei; its diversity and distribution as well as means of collecting the germplasm from local farmers. Cluster/stratified random sampling method was adopted to select eighteen sites and collections were made from ten randomly selected farmers in each site using structured questionnaire and guided walk with a passport data sheet filled for each collection. A total of 540 farmers were encountered from 54 sites comprising of 259 males and 281 females. One hundred and three collections among diverse crops were realized. These collections comprise 48, 50 and 10 for Delta, Edo and Ondo respectively. Among these were duplicate Delta (48) and Edo (50) while Ondo recorded no duplicate. However, 53 of these collections are acclaimed „pure lines‟. The socio-cultural background is diverse. Nine ethnic/tribes were encountered including Benin, Etsako, Igbo, Ijaw, Esan, Isoko, Itsekiri, Urhobo and Yoruba. Information on local knowledge from these tribes is reported. The local knowledge harnessed are integral to understanding the collection, utilization and conservation of the germplasm. This also suggests the use of the local knowledge as a „window‟ to the collection, documentation, evaluation and utilization of other indigenous crop germplasm. Related crop plants in terms of utilization include Common Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and Ewedu (Corchorus sp) were encountered in the study area. The presence of these related crops does not pose threat of extinction but rather competition for cultivation, utilization and prospects. The understanding and utilization of the local knowledge from local agricultural practitioners can assist to complement collecting mission and conservation of genetic resources.
