Agro-morphological characterization of Mauritanian Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) accessions and selection for their tolerance to water stress

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Mauritania is a Sahelian country highly exposed to climate change. Its territory is subject to successive variations in agricultural production caused by several factors, including low and irregular rainfall; deteriorating climatic conditions, and widespread desertification. In addition to these phenomena, which limit agricultural production in Mauritania, yields could fall further as a result of global warming and climate change, which aggravate inappropriate agricultural practices such as over-exploitation of the land, insufficient irrigation, and the advance of the desert. Drought is one of the major constraints that considerably affects the growth and development of plants and limits crop productivity by inducing osmotic stress. It is in this context that this study is being carried out on a set of local accessions of Mauritanian sorghum <italic>(Sorghum bicolor)</italic> to explore the phenotypic variability of this heritage and to characterize agro-morphologically this resource under water stress. Morphological, agronomic, and phenological parameters were studied during the project. Analysis of variance showed a highly significant effect of varieties on all morphological parameters. The Rhaye (Sidi nielbe) and Nienikou accessions are the earliest, with a heading period of 45 days, while the Nébané and Bechne Aarre varieties are the latest, with a heading period of around 80 days. The Nieniko, Leghvere, Rhaye (Sidi nielbe), and coumbe Nday ecotypes are the best in terms of yield parameters. The Taghalit lhamra, Taghalit lbeyda, Ghilé, Ras louche, and Beyke ecotypes performed similarly under rainfed and irrigated conditions in terms of vegetative growth.