Agromorphological diversity of sorghum accessions collected in North-West Benin

Sorghum is one of the minor cereals, rich in genetic diversity and important nutritional values. Unfortunately, this crop lacks a formal seed production system due to insufficient knowledge of available cultivars in Benin. The aim of this study is to characterise the local sorghum cultivars from the collection of the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin (INRAB). To this end, the Research Development (Side R-D) site in Kouya (Boukoumbé) hosted the trials in 2023 and 2024, following a complete randomised block experimental design, with three repetitions, totalling 120 plots (40 per block). The size of each plot was 16 m² (4 m × 4 m). The parameters evaluated were selected from the Test Guideline of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and consisted of eleven variables, including six quantitative variables and five pseudo-qualitative variables: period of the appearance of the panicle; awn length; plant height; panicle length; 1000-grain weight, average yield, density at maturity of the panicle, endosperm type, position of the widest part, glume colour at maturity, and seed colour. The data were subsequently analysed using R software. Hierarchical ascending classification grouped the accessions into five distinct groups. A classification of the best accessions based on a global score identified the ten most performing varieties, in descending order: S_19077, S_19095, S_19093, S_19096, S_19048, S_19044, S_19035, S_19081, S_19078, and S_19032. Based on these results, the most successful sorghum cultivars will be selected and will be used in a genetic improvement programme for this cereal.