Parataxonomy and diversity of local varieties of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) and macabo (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) grown in Benin (West Africa)

Abstract

Taro and macabo are plants with high food, medicinal and economic value, but are under-utilized in Benin. The aim of this study was to identify local varieties of taro and macabo grown in Benin, with their vernacular names, farmers' recognition criteria and distribution. Data were collected between May 2021 and May 2023, through interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The sample surveyed consisted of 349 taro/macabo producers, distributed in 40 villages belonging to 9 departments. The variables collected concerned producers' socio-demographic characteristics, local appellations, farmers' recognition criteria and the distribution of local varieties of the two species, and were processed by calculating relative citation frequencies and establishing a generalized linear model in R software. In addition, QGIS software was used to represent the distribution of the varieties surveyed. A total of 42 local appellations have been registered to designate all local varieties. Ten local varieties, including six of <i>C. esculenta</i> (V1 to V6) and four of <i>X. sagittifolium</i> (V7 to V10), were identified on the basis of seven (07) farmers' criteria, the main ones being tuber color (41.88 %) and leaf blade color (23.30 %). Local varieties V1, V3, V4 and V5 were the most widespread for <i>C. esculenta</i>, while varieties V7 and V9 were the most widely distributed from the south to the north of the country for <i>X. sagittifolium</i>. The socio-demographic parameters such as age category, occupation and ethnic groups tested had a significant influence (p < 0.05) on the number of local varieties held by growers. Agro-morphological characterization will provide data for the selection of elite varieties.