Agro-Morphological Variability of Ocimum gratissimum L. and Three Other Accessions of Basil in South-western Nigeria

摘要

Basil Ocimum basilicum is one of the highly valued medicinal and aromatic plants that is widely used in different parts of the globe. Field evaluation of 4 basil accessions (2 indigenous and 2 exotic types), was carried out at Ibadan, Nigeria. Considerable level of genetic variation for the various traits studied was recorded. Thirteen quantitative and six qualitative traits were evaluated. Relatively high variation was recorded for plant height, number of branches, leaf length, inflorescence length,petiole length and days to 50% flowering an indication that these traits can be further improved through selection. Least variability was recorded for 1000 seed weight, number of seeds per pod, canopy cover and leaf width. Leaf length and width varied from 3.9 to 20.0 cm and 1.7 to 10.95 cm, respectively. Also, a wide range of variation was recorded for qualitative traits such as seed, stem, flower, leaf and stem colour. Absence of hairiness on the entire plant parts was observed in all the accessions.The results of this study indicated that the two local accessions (Tree and Bush basil) could be used as good parents for basil improvement programmes geared towards enhancement of leaf size based on market demand, taller plants with durable stems, better stability and adaptability to West African environments.