Assessment of X-ray Irradiation on the Morphological Performance of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam)

Aim: Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) were studied to assess the influence of x-ray irradiation on the morphological performance.

Place and Duration of Study: Samples were collected from National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, irradiation was done in the x-ray unit of a medical laboratory, planting and data analysis were done at the experimental farm and laboratory of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Calabar.

Methodology: Stems of Sweet potatoes were grouped and non-control groups irradiated at different x-ray doses, planted and morphological parameters analyzed.

Results: The results showed no significant difference in the treatments for parameters such as number of leaves, leaf area, leaf length, plant height, leaf width and days to sprouting when kilo voltage (kV) was constant at 40kV and milli Amperes per second (mAs) varied from 1.6mAs to 3.2mAs. There was also no significant difference in the treatments for parameters such as leaf area, leaf length, leaf width and days to sprouting when mAs was constant at 1.6mAs and kilo voltage (kV) varied from 40kV to 100kV. The results also showed that the low doses of x-ray irradiation did not cause aberrations in the morphological performance of sweet potato.

Conclusion: These findings necessitate the need for adequate irradiation doses in the use of ionizing radiations on crops in order to maintain and improve their varieties.