Dr. Yield Performance and Genetic Gain Potential of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Under Different Harvest Frequencies

Abstract

Indigenous leafy vegetables such as African spinach (Amaranthus hybridus), Lagos spinach (Celosia argentea), and Jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) are widely cultivated and consumed in tropical and subtropical regions due to their high nutritional value and contribution to food security. These vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and plantbased protein that support healthy diets and improve nutritional status. However, their productivity is often affected by poor agronomic practices, particularly inappropriate harvesting frequency and cutting cycles, which influence vegetative growth and cumulative leaf yield. This study evaluated the response of openpollinated varieties of African spinach, Lagos spinach, and Jute mallow to different harvesting regimes in order to determine the most suitable harvest interval for improved cumulative leaf yield under the Southern Guinea Savannah agroecological conditions of Nigeria. A screen house experiment was conducted using a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Six vegetable varieties were subjected to three harvesting regimes, namely weekly harvesting, fortnightly harvesting, and harvesting at maturity. Data were collected on plant height, stem girth, number of leaves, and cumulative leaf yield and analysed using analysis of variance. Results revealed significant (p < 0.05) genotypic variability among the evaluated vegetables across harvesting regimes. African spinach (Tete – Local) recorded the highest cumulative leaf yield, followed by Lagos spinach (Shoko – Local), whereas Jute mallow varieties produced comparatively lower yields. The fortnightly harvesting regime produced the highest cumulative yield and exhibited high heritability (0.70) with genetic advance of 25%. Fortnightly harvesting is therefore recommended for improving cumulative leaf yield in indigenous leafy vegetables.