Création et amélioration de populations de sorgho à base large avec les agriculteurs au Burkina Faso

Abstract

This study presents a strategy for sorghum conservation and enhancement by assembling a high number of interesting and important traits within a population by participatory recurrent selection. The specific objective is to present a methodology which respects farmers' needs and preferences in all population development stages. This work includes the choice of crossing parents and the management of populations in farmers' fields. Four populations were developed, each derived from eight to fifteen local varieties and three to four improved sorghum lines. Each population was sown for two to three subsequent generations in the target region. The key elements of this recombination and adaptation phase were farmers' management of the populations in their fields, the identification of male sterile plants during flowering by the farmer, as well as harvest, evaluation (using evaluation sheets) and preference classification of male sterile panicles. The final choice of panicles which form the new population results from the partitioning of roles between the farmers, farmer organisations and breeders.