Variations in size, leaf morphology, and fruit characters among 25 populations of Luffa aegyptiaca

Abstract

Variations in 25 populations of Luffa aegyptiaca L. in southwestern Nigeria and their possible causes were studied. The variations were most pronounced in the leaf, especially in texture, invagination, area, and dry weight. Shoot and fruit dry weights also showed considerable variation. While mean seed dry weight showed remarkable constancy in the populations studied, mean seed number per fruit varied greatly.Populations growing in acid soil with low nutrient content had deep leaf invaginations, small leaf areas per shoot, and small leaf, shoot, and fruit dry weights, while populations growing in neutral or basic soils with high nutrient content had shallow leaf invaginations, large leaf area per shoot, and large leaf, shoot, and fruit dry weights.When seeds from a population with deep leaf invagination and small leaf area were grown in soil from the site of a population with shallow leaf invagination and large leaf area, the resulting plants developed the characteristics of the second population. The reciprocal procedure gave a similar result. The variations in soil were thought to be responsible for the variation noted in leaf morphology, size, and weight and for variation in shoot and fruit dry weights. Light was partially responsible for the variations in the leaf colour and in the prominence of leaf veins.