Phenotypic Evaluation and Genetic Parameter Estimation of a Collection of Bambara Groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.)] Landraces in the Sudan–Sahelian Zone in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Effective utilization of plant genetic resources requires agro-morphological evaluation of collections across diverse growing regions. The objectives of this study are to assess genetic diversity and estimate genetic parameters through morphological traits of Bambara groundnut. The study was conducted over two growing seasons at the SUSTLIVES project site in Gampela (Central Burkina Faso) using an RCBD with three replicates. A total of eight qualitative and eight quantitative traits were used to estimate variability within a collection of 153 landraces. The results revealed a substantial variability in all the qualitative traits, with the number of modalities ranging from 2 to 10, seed color being the variable trait. Based on qualitative traits related to seed, the landraces were grouped into 12 morpho-groups. The analysis of variance showed the presence of significant variation between landraces and across years and their interactions for all of the quantitative traits. The heritability values ranged from 46.12% (seed weight per plant) to 88.66% (days to 90% maturity). The landraces KKou4, KKou2, ODap3, ODap4, KLay68, BPle2, KTog6, KSag11, ZMag4 and ODap1 were identified as high-yielding landraces. Future selection efforts for Bambara groundnut should therefore continue to evaluate the genotypes that have a high potential for grain yield under various pedoclimatic environments of the country.