Evaluation of some Rossele (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) germplasm in Nigeria

Six accessions of Roselle collected from different parts of Niger state, Nigeria, were evaluated for their morphological and yield attributes during the cropping season of 2012 at the Department of Biological Sciences experimental field, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The objectives of the experiment were to investigate the morphological and yield characteristics and performance of these Roselle entries. Data collected included plant height, number of branches colour of calyx, number of fruit per plant (NF), width of fruit (WDF), length of fruit (LF), and weight of 1000 seeds. The six entries displayed four different colour of calyx (red, light red, deep red and green) which could be used to delimit them. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed for morphological parameters in all the accessions collected. This is an indication that there is a store of genetic variability that can be exploited for the improvement of Roselle in Niger state. There was also pronounced variation in yield and other morphological parameters, suggesting the possibility of evolving higher yield variants of Roselle through proper selection. Specific accessions; NG001, NG002, NG003 and NG004 which were identified with the highest weight (26.04 g) per 1000 seeds, the highest length of fruit (9.16 cm), the highest width of fruit (6.33 cm) and the highest number of fruits per plant (58.16) respectively, could be passed on to breeders for utilization in the Roselle improvement programme in Nigeria.