Preliminary morphological characterization and evaluation of selected Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] genotypes for yield and yield related traits

Forty nine (49) Bambara groundnut genotypes derived from single plant selection of diverse origin were evaluated for yield and yield components using 26 yield and yield related traits. Highly significant (P<0.001) differences were detected among the genotypes for canopy spread, petiole length, weight of biomass, seed weight and seed height, while seedling emergence, pod weight, seed length and seed width were significantly different (P<0.05). Principal component analysis identified nine influential components whereby PC1 and PC2 highly contributed to the total variation at 19% and 14%, respectively. Leaf colour at emergence, petiole colour, leaf joint pigmentation and calyx colour were highly correlated with PC1, while seed length, seed width and seed height had strong association with PC2. Both the principal component and cluster analyses displayed common association among most of the genotypes for agronomic and seed yield traits. Genotypes that showed high seed yield performance and greater biomass production can be tested for large-scale production, breeding or germplasm conservation.