VEGETATIVE IMPROVEMENT OF THREE NIGERIAN SESAME VARIETIES AFTER FNI TREATMENT

Abstract

The effects of Fast Neutron Irradiation (FNI) from an Americium Beryllium source with a flux of 1.5 × 104 n cm-2 s-1 on select vegetative parameters of three Nigerian sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties were investigated. Seeds of Kenana-4 , Ex-Sudan and E-8 were irradiated with 4, 8, 12 and 16 µSv doses of FNI before they were grown to maturity, alongside their respective controls (0 µSv dose of FNI). The vegetative parameters investigated included percentage survival, petiole length, number of leaves per plant, leaf surface area and plant height. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the different doses of FNI for all three varieties. Correlations between irradiation doses and morphological parameters were generally highest in E-8, followed by Kenana-4, while Ex-Sudan showed the weakest correlations, suggesting that E-8 was the most sensitive to FNI. Thus, FNI can induce genetic variability in sesame and may be important for sesame breeders who seek to expand the genetic base of their breeding material.

Keywords

• sensitivity
• FNI
• morphological parameters
• sesame
• genetic improvement