Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GeVaBioS), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, BP 10662 Ny, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niger
Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.), a crop of the new millennium, is considered one of the main legumes of the tropics, because of it versatile advantages. The main objective of this study is to estimate the variation of local Bambara groundnut accessions by taking into account their 21 quantitative characters, in order to find the best genotype adapted to Niger. The study was carried out according to a completely randomized Fisher block device with four repetitions. Twenty-one (21) characters including four (4) phenological, five (5) morphological and twelve (12) related to yield were evaluated to characterize the accessions. With the 21 characters of the accessions used, the variation of the genetic parameters was determined. The analysis of variance revealed significant variations for all the traits assessed (P≤0.01). The coefficients of variation vary from 0.57% to 32.11%. Six (6) of the twenty-one (21) parameters measured had high coefficients of variation (CV˃20%). Yield showed a strong positive correlation with parameters such as number of leaves (r=0.62), number of pods (r=0.68), number of petioles per plant (r=0.62), 100-seed weight (r=0.79), pod weight (r=0.97) and seed weight (r=0.97). The weight of seeds (GCV=23.40% and PCV=42.54%), the weight of 100 seeds (GCV=25.73% and PCV=25.75%) and the yield in Kg/ha (GCV= 23.40% and PCV=42.54%) revealed high phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation (˃20%). Maturity date (91.28%) and 100-seed weight (96.85%) were highly heritable. Genetic advance was high for 100-seed weight (52.96%), dry biomass weight (34.19%), seed width (20.55%), seed weight (26.52%) and the yield in Kg/ha (26.53%). The 100-seed weight (h2b=96.85% and GA=52.97%) had high broad-sense heritability and expected genetic gain. The constructed dendrogram showed three distinct groups of accessions. Group 1 is made up of promising accessions with the highest average seed weight per plant (13.24g), small plants (20±0.86 cm) and early plants (82±0.86 DAS). Group 2 includes late accessions (83±0.30 DAS) with average height (21±0.35 cm). Group 3 is composed of intermediate accessions for the maturity date (82±0.66 cm) with the highest seedlings (22±0.22 cm). Accessions Di-3 082 (899.73 kg/ha), Di 083 (857.89 kg/ha), Di 085 (566.53 kg/ha), Zi 087 (818.22 kg/ha), Zi 092 (584.27 kg /ha), Zi 094 (720.22kg/ha) and Zi 098 (616.00kg/ha) gave yields higher than the average total yield (560.20 kg/ha).