Journals Information
Universal Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 12(5), pp. 629 - 641
DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120502
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Agronomic and Physicochemical Characterization of Gamma Irradiation on M4 Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) Mutants
Kelebonye Ramolekwa 1, Motlalepula Pholo-Tait 2,*, Samodimo Ngwako 1,2, Goitseone Malambane 1, Lekgari Lekgari 3
1 Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Botswana
2 Faculty of Research and Graduate Studies, Research Centre for Bioeconomy, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana
3 Department of Field Crops and Horticulture, National Agricultural Research Development Institute, Botswana
ABSTRACT
Gamma irradiation has been successfully used as a powerful mutagen for inducing various legume crops. This study evaluated the effect of gamma irradiation-induced variability on the agronomic, physicochemical and yield attributes of cowpea plants. The study was conducted in a screenhouse in a complete randomized block design with 8 replications. The M4 mutant lines were derived from gamma irradiation with a Tswana background. Tswana is a late-maturing local commercial variety exhibiting a prostrate growth habit with a yield potential of 1-2 tonˉ¹ha. The mutant lines include Tswana-300Gy-202, Tswana-300Gy-214, Tswana-400Gy-49, Tswana-400Gy-49, Tswana-500Gy-31, and Tswana-500Gy-53. Analysis of variance for agronomic traits and nutritional factors revealed induced genetic variability between the mutant and their Tswana background. A significant variation of a 1 or 2-day prolonged period to emergence in mutant lines compared to the Tswana variety suggested a novel-induced variation. The maximum and the lowest Chl-a content was observed for the Tswana-500Gy-53 line (0.510 µg ml-1) and Tswana (0.276 µg ml-1) respectively. However, an induced consistent suppressed Chl-a was observed for Tswana-300Gy-202 and Tswana-300Gy-214 relative to other mutant lines. The carotenoid levels were highest for Tswana-500Gy-53 (0.220 µg ml-1), while Tswana-300Gy-202 (0.126 µg ml-1) had the lowest carotenoid content. The maximum NPQt and PhiNPQ were observed for Tswana-500Gy-53 (5.070; 0.651) and Tswana-500Gy-31 (4.122; 0.594), resulting in lower Fv/Fm and Phi2 compared to Tswana control (3.741). Tswana-400Gy-85 had the highest crude fibre concentration (6.190g/kg) compared to the control, while the lowest concentration was observed for Tswana-400Gy-49 (5.047g/kg). Tswana-500Gy-31 recorded the lowest tannin content (0.097), followed by Tswana-500Gy-53 (0.098), while Tswana-400Gy-85 had the highest tannin level (0.260) compared to the control and other mutant lines. The yield-related attributes were not significantly affected by gamma-irradiated mutagenesis except the 100 SW. Tswana-300Gy-214 (18.125 g) and Tswana-400Gy-49 (18.250 g) had the highest 100SW compared to the Tswana control (16.500 g). They also had higher 100 SW than Tswana-400Gy-85 (16.750 g) and Tswana-500Gy-53 (16.875 g) respectively. Further studies could consider the antinutritional and genetic analysis of the point of mutation and the existence of silent mutations where the DNA did not have a noticeable effect.
KEYWORDS
Gamma Irradiation, Mutant, Photosynthetic Fluorescence, Chlorophyll, Carotenoids, Yield
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Kelebonye Ramolekwa , Motlalepula Pholo-Tait , Samodimo Ngwako , Goitseone Malambane , Lekgari Lekgari , "Agronomic and Physicochemical Characterization of Gamma Irradiation on M4 Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) Mutants," Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 629 - 641, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120502.
(b). APA Format:
Kelebonye Ramolekwa , Motlalepula Pholo-Tait , Samodimo Ngwako , Goitseone Malambane , Lekgari Lekgari (2024). Agronomic and Physicochemical Characterization of Gamma Irradiation on M4 Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) Mutants. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(5), 629 - 641. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120502.