Nutritional Qualities of Ginger Mutant Lines Grown in the Humid Tropical Agroecology of Nigeria

The present study was aimed to determine the variations in nutritional qualities of 15 mutant lines and two landraces of ginger (Zingiber officinale). Fifteen (15) gamma (γ)-ray induced mutants lines and two landraces of ginger were planted in 2017 early cropping season in the Teaching and Research Farm, Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. To evaluate the nutritional qualities of these seventeen ginger genotypes at maturity, proximate analysis was carried out in the Biochemistry Laboratory of the National Root Crop Research Institute Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. Using standard and official protocols of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Results showed that the ginger lines varied significantly (P < 0.01) in all their proximate attributes. The moisture content ranged from 10.13% (UG1) to 12.95% (UG2). Mean dry matter was 88.89%; UG1 and UG2 had the highest (89.89%) and lowest (87.05%) dry matter content, respectively. Mean crude protein was 7.74%; UG2-9-01 and UG2-11-03 had the highest (8.25%) and lowest (7.29%) crude protein respectively. UG1-5-38 and UG1-5-22 had the highest (8.12%) and lowest (6.41%) crude fibre content respectively. The oleoresin content ranged from (6.25%) in UG2-9-01 to (9.09%) in UG1-11-07. UG1-5-04 and UG1-5-22 had the highest (2.88%) and lowest (2.22%) ash content respectively. UG2-9-01 had the highest carbohydrate content of (65.10%). While UG1-5-52 had the lowest (61.27%) The result showed that the ginger lines used in this study had high mean carbohydrate (62.85%) and protein (7.74%) contents as such can be used as supplementary sources of these nutrients for human and livestock. UG1-7-24, UG1-11-07 and UG1-5-18 with high oleoresin contents of 9.11%, 9.09% and 9.05% respectively are recommended to ginger breeders as useful genotypes for improving other ginger lines through micropropagation techniques especially when breeding for oleoresin quality, which is an important quality of ginger. In conclusion, further evaluation and testing of these ginger lines is recommended.