Flowering, Pollination and Pod Formation in Bambara Groundnut (Voandzeia Subterranea) in Ghana

Abstract

SummaryAlthough bambara groundnut (Voandzeia subterranea) is an important pulse crop in Africa and particularly in Ghana, information on the crop is not only very limited but conflicting, especially as regards flowering and mode of pollination. Both self- and cross-pollination can take place in varying degrees, depending on variety or strain, and this is brought about by two species of ants, Pheidole megacephala and Monomorium pharaonis, without which pollination might be severely limited or prevented altogether. The extent of cross pollination may be greater in varieties or strains with a more open habit, i.e.. varieties resembling the wild uncultivated ancestors, whereas the bunch cultivated types are more likely to be self-pollinated. It is suggested that varieties or strains may show differences in their ability to cross with one another.