Phenological and Agro-Morphological Characterization of Sorghum in the Southeast Region of Niger

Abstract

Sorghum is a cereal of great importance in several tropical countries of Africa. In Niger, sorghum is the second most important cereal crop after millet. However, this crop faces a significant decline in yield due to numerous biotic and abiotic constraints. The objective of this study was to characterize eighteen sorghum genotypes in order to perform a morpho-phenological evaluation and identify the best-performing genotypes. We conducted the experiments in a complete randomized block design with four replications in Zinder during the rainy season in 2024. The analysis of variance results revealed significant variability among the evaluated genotypes, particularly regarding phenological traits where the 50% flowering stage varied from 71 to 90 days after sowing, morphological traits with plant heights ranging from 125 to 277.80 cm, and agronomic traits with grain yields varying from 984 to 3643 kg. ha⁻¹. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) classified the genotypes into five distinct groups. Phenologically, the genotypes in Group 1 showed good performance. Morphologically, genotypes in Groups 2 and 3 were the most efficient. Agronomically, genotypes G15, G6, G16, and G2 in Group 2 exhibited the best grain yield performance. These genotypes could be potential lines for breeding new varieties to address crop production challenges under conditions of climatic variability.