YIELD EVALUATION OF SOME CULTIVARS OF MUNGBEAN (Vigna radiata (L) WILCZEK) IN SOUTHERN GIUNEA SAVANNA LOCATION OF NIGERIA

ABSTRACT: Field experiment was conducted in the early and late seasons of 2006 to determine Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek) cultivars that are high yielding in the guinea savanna zone of Nigeria. The experiment was sited at the research farm of the university of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria. Treatments included five mungbean cultivars (local variety, Vc 2768A, Vc 1178A, Vc 2778A, and Vc 1973A) arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replications. Parameters assessed included plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, number of nodules per plant, number of pods per plant, 1000 seed weight (g) and grain yield (kg/ha). The result showed that there was no significant difference between the cultivars in terms plant height and the number of branches per plant, Vc 2768A was the tallest cultivar while Vc2778A was the shortest. Number of nodules per plant differed significantly between the cultivars. Vc 2768A gave the highest grain yield of 2266.67kg/ha while the lowest yield of 441.67kg/ha was obtained from Vc 2778A lower than the yield obtained from local variety (891.67kg/ha). In conclusion, cultivar Vc 2768A which gave the highest grain yield can be used by resource poor farmers in the southern Guinea Savanna Agro-ecological zone of Nigeria