Abstract:
Poor storage root yield and incidence of sweetpotato weevil Cylas spp. constitute major
constraints to sweetpotato production in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to assess newly
developed progenies of sweetpotato and identify promising genotypes with high storage root
yield and resistance to Cylas spp. For this purpose, a field experiment was conducted at the
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Southeastern Nigeria during the 2015 and
2016 cropping seasons to evaluate diversity across progenies of different sweetpotato families,
namely: Sauti × 442162 (6), Sauti x Ligri (5) and Sauti Poly Cross (10), including two national
check varieties (Umuspo 3 and TIS 87/0087). This experiment was laid out in a randomized
complete block design with three replicates. In this study, progenies of sweetpotato exhibited
morphological variability storage root characters. Sauti x Ligri/4 (13.33t/ha) and Sauti x
442162/1 (12.70 t/ha) produced higher fresh storage root yield than the national check
(Umuspo3) while five genotypes; Sauti x Ligri/4 (13.33t/ha), Sauti x 442162/1 (12.70 t/ha), Sauti
x 442162/5 (12.03 t/ha), Sauti x 442162/2 (11.04t/ha) and Sauti PC/9 (9.97t/ha) produced higher
fresh storage root yield than the national check (TIS 87/0087). Among the twenty one genotypes
evaluated, nine genotypes; Sauti x 442162/5, Sauti x 442162/3, Sauti x 442162/2, Sauti x Ligri/2,
Sauti PC/4, Sauti x 442162/1, Sauti PC/1, Sauti PC/5, Sauti x 442162/6 were susceptible to the
attack of C. puncticollis. Sautix442162/5 had the highest attack of C. puncticollis, followed by
Sautix442162/3 and Sautix442162/2 while twelve genotypes; Sauti PC/2, Sauti PC/3, Sauti
PC/6, Sauti PC/7, Sauti PC/8, Sauti PC/9, Sauti PC/10, Sauti x 442162/4, Sauti x Ligri/1, Sauti x
Ligri/3, Sauti x Ligri/4, Sauti x Ligri/5 did not record attack of C. puncticollis and may possess
resistance genes and could be incorporated in breeding programs to produce hybrid varieties that
are high yielding and resistance to Cylas puncticollis.. |
