Multi Location Field Evaluation of BC 1 F 2 Sorghum Populations for Striga Resistance in Niger

Abstract

In Niger, a landlocked country, sorghum is the second staple food cultivated over the country by smallholder farmer. The crop is important for human and animal consumption. Despite its importance, the crop is affected by biotic and abiotic constraints. Among those constraints, striga has a high impact on yield. In fact, to survive, farmers are growing their local preferred sorghum varieties wish is highly sensible to the weed. Striga management is a challenge that required a permanent solution. In addition, development of high-yielding Striga resistant genotypes will be appreciated by farmers. The development of striga resistance will be based on the breeding population performances under farmer’s diverse environmental conditions adaptation. The main objectives of this study is to evaluate two breeding populations for striga resistance in two different environments at Boulke and Dibissou in Tahoua region, to identify the early and high-yielding striga tolerant genotypes under natural infestation.