EVALUATION OF SEED QUALITY OF COLLECTED SPIDERPLANT (Cleome gynandra L.) ACCESSIONS IN VARIOUS REGIONS OF KENYA

Abstract

Spiderplant is an important African Indigenous Vegetable especially in Kenya with its popularity fast spreading due to its nutritional and medicinal values. Optimum stand establishment and maximum yield potential of spiderplant is majorly determined by the quality of seed. Physical and physiological seed quality components are used in seed testing. The physical purity and percentage germination are some of the most influential aspects. Most farmers depend heavily on ‘farmer-saved’ seeds which are of low quality due to seed handling and storage. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage purity and percentage germination of Spiderplant accessions from various regions of Kenya. Surveys were conducted to collect germplasm from Western Kenya. A total of 35 accessions were collected from farmers and 5 accessions from AVRDC. A purity test was conducted to establish the fraction of pure seed. A sample of seeds with impurities was weighed, and then the two fractions were separated and pure seed weighed. A germination test experiment involving four replicates of 100 seeds each for all the accessions were set up in completely randomized design in a growth cabinet. Germination tests showed that all accessions had >80% germination, with the highest being 100% while the purity test was >70% with the highest being 100%. Therefore the results reflect proper seed processing, handling and storage by the farmers, hence high germination percentage and percentage purity.

Key words: Seed handling, African indigenous vegetables, germplasm, purity test, germination test