In Burkina Faso, rice is of great importance in terms of consumption and cultivated area. It is the fourth most important cereal crop in terms of area, production and annual per capita consumption. Despite persistently low and almost static yields, demand for rice continues to grow due to high population growth and changing dietary habits. The basic system of local rice production is monoculture in a single annual season for rainfed and lowland rice and in a double annual season for irrigated rice. Irrigated rice is the most efficient rice production method with total control of water supply. However, rice production in Burkina Faso is faced with multiple abiotic and biotic constraints that cause significant yield reductions. Indeed, climatic variability remains one of the most important factors. Like the rest of the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Burkina Faso is subject to climatic hazards, of which the decline and poor spatial-temporal distribution of rainfall has become the main obstacle to rice production. Thus, in a context where the effects of climate change are increasingly perceptible, it is becoming imperative to adopt more efficient varieties and cultivation practices that ensure good water nutrition for the plants. To cope with this situation, an efficient irrigation system is needed to secure and stabilize crops. This situation calls for a careful use of water in agriculture. This review highlights the genetic diversity of rice, its importance, constraints and different rice production systems as well as innovative methods to boost local rice production in the future.

Jatropha curcas L. is a perennial oleaginous plant which is known for its multiple uses. The oil extracted from its seeds is used in the manufacture of biodiesel and soap. The plant also has therapeutic virtues and insecticidal properties. In Burkina Faso, the species remains under exploited. Despite its potentialities, the genetic diversity of this phytogenetic resource is badly known. This study was conducted to determine the level and the structuring of the genetic variability of a collection of 70 accessions coming from the various phytogeographical sectors of the country and to estimate the genetic parameters of the various characters. Thus, an agro-morphological evaluation of the collection was carried out during the rainy season 2014. Eleven (11) quantitative characters relating to the vegetative development and the potential of production of the plant were used. This study revealed the existence of variability within accessions. The characters related to the yield showed greater variability than those related of the vegetative development. The analysis of the structuring of variability showed that plants which have an important vegetative development are more productive than those of little size.The estimate of the genetic parameters revealed a weak difference between the phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation and high broad sense heritability for all the characters. The characters related to the yield expressed the highest expected genetic advance, phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation. The results of the study can be exploited in Jatropha curcas' improvement program.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is one of the most important arid legumes cultivated for pulse and forage production in the savannas of west Africa. Its cultivation is confronted to biotic and abiotic constraints. The abiotic constraints are primarily of (recorded rainfall, temperature, poor soil). This research was conducted to identify cowpea breeding lines that tolerant to drought. Seven genotypes obtained from cowpea breeding program of marker-assisted recurrent selection (C2-111-4, C2-111-2, C2-9-3, C2-11-3, C2-31-2, C254-4 and C2-64-2), two parents of crossing (Gorom local and IT97K-499-35) and IT99K-573-2-1 (yiis yande, grown under drought stressed and non-stressed conditions. Drought stress reduced seed yield, 100 seed weight and chlorophyll stability index. Correlation between stressed and non-stressed seed yield were (r=+0.646). Biplot displays of quantitative indices of stress tolerance and genotypes seed yield indicating that genetic variability for drought tolerance existed amongst the tested germplasm with regard to seed yield and drought tolerance. According to their yielding ability and quantitative indices of stress tolerance, the genotypes (C2-31-2, C2-9-1, IT97-499-35, C2-111-4, C2-111-2, C2-9-3, C2-11-3, et C2-64-2) were grouped in low yielding under drought condition; Gorom local et C2-54-4 in order were identified as high yielding and moderate yielding under drought. IT99K-573-2-1 was found to be susceptible drought.

Northern Burkina Faso, was once a region where yams "y

Forty-one (41) accessions of the jute potager (Corchorus olitorius L.) collected in Burkina Faso were evaluated on July 2014 with twenty-five (25) characters according to a Latinized Apha-Plan. The global objective of this study is to contribute to a better knowledge of the agromorphological diversity of C olitorus of Burkina Faso. The study revealed that 75,61% of the accessions studied belong to C olitorius var olitoriu L. variety and 24,39% belong to C olitorius var incisifolius Asch.& Schw variety. It showed indeed that several characters discriminate the accessions at 1%. The study of the structuring of diversity revealed three groups of accessions on the basis of the plant height, stem diameter, width of leaf and leafy biomass. Thus, the group I is constituted of big size accessions with robust stem, high leafy biomass and thin fruits. The Group II is constituted of individuals with performances relatively low. The Group III is a mixed group constituted with 65% C olitorius var clitoris L. and 35% of C olitorius var incisifolius Asch. & Schw. This group is made up of individuals with reduced size, with weak leafy and big fruits.

The climatic changes and the irregularity of the seasons of rain involved the adoption by the farmers of the varieties more plastic and adapted in their zone of culture that the improved varieties. In the objective to measure the response of the ecotypes to photoperiodism, a study of the sensitivity of 120 ecotypes of sorghum of Burkina Faso to the photoperiod was made using a test comprising two dates of sowing. These ecotypes come from the germplasm of the University of Ouagadougou, made up between 1984 and 1986 within the framework of the safeguarding of the diversity of the sorghum. It comes out from this study that all the studied ecotypes are photoperiodic and systematically reduce their cycle at the time of a delay the semi one. Also let us note that 46 % of the ecotypes showed a sensitivity moderate to the photoperiod (0<K?0,3), 38% a relatively significant sensitivity (0,3<K?0,6) and 16 % a strong sensitivity (0,6 < K?0,9). The flowering of the ecotypes occurred in the 25 days which preceded the average date by end of the rain season and floral initiation started and finished during the time to which the day is shorter than the night. We retain as this study as at the time of a delay of 3 weeks sowing the ecotypes lose 10 to 96% their seeds with an average of 66%.