Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.)Moench), is a cereal crop close to maize and sugar cane. The crop originated in the Northeast part of Africa and has been an important crop in many dry areas of tropical countries. Sorghum is used for beverage and porridge for many people of Africa. Although sorghum is socially still an important cereal in Burundi, few studies have been undertaken on that crop. In a biodiversity management context, this study on sorghum was therefore set to characterize fifty landraces collected from seven provinces of Burundi and evaluated through morphological traits in two sites. The objectives of this study were to assess the phenotypic diversity and compare the pattern of distribution among landraces according to the ecological zones.

Five quantitative and sixteen qualitative traits were considered separately during the statistical analysis. Cluster analysis based on quantitative traits showed a wide range of diversity in the fifty sorghum landraces independently of the provinces of collection. However, in some cases the distinct groups of sorghum were related to the ecological zones of origin. Burundi landraces were mainly red and brown in the seed colour, that may result from the use for traditional beverage while white seed cultivars were very few and concentrated to three provinces. All the cultivars had panicles which varied from semi loose and dropping to compact elliptic and this confirms the predominance of Caudatum - Bicolor race. The analysis of variance detected highly significant differences among the sites for the five quantitative characters studied.

The pattern of morphological variation is suggested to be assessed in fields under traditional cultivation system. An implementation of strategies for in situ and ex situ conservation is recommended to protect this sorghum diversity, currently neglected and threatened by genetic erosion.