Quantitative Characteristics of the Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] Root System Under Water Constraints

The depth and density of roots play a determining role in the maintenance of the water supply of the plant in a condition of water deficit in the soil. Under water deficit conditions, a root system developing deep in the soil is the most desired character. This study aims to determine adaptive performance of the okra root system under water stress. Thus, the effects of water deficit induced by restriction of soil field capacity (SFC) to 60%, 40% and 20% were studied in two varieties of okra (V1 and V2) and compared to a control water regime ( 100% SFC irrigation). Results showed that the number of primary roots, the root volume, the root dry matter, the length of the main root and the root fineness varied according to varieties, water regimes and their interaction. However, varietal differences were observed for the characters length of the main root and root fineness. In addition, a significant difference and very highly significant were respectively observed for the interaction * variety hydric regime on the number of primary roots(p = 0.016) and the length of the main root (p ≤ 0.001). Under water regimes at 60% SFC, 40% SFC or 20% SFC, there is an increase in length of the main root of the varietyV2; but for the variety V1, the increase was noted in the plants irrigated at 40% SFC. On the other hand, in both varieties, root fineness increased under all restrictive water regimes

Phenotypical characteristics and genetic diversity of three types of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivated in Burkina Faso based on qualitative traits

The objective of this study is to compare the genetic diversity of sweet grain sorghum with grain sorghum and sweet sorghum using qualitative agro-morphological traits in order to identify its phenotypical specific traits. Forty-two genotypes of the three types of sorghum were evaluated using a three-repeat Incomplete Fisher Block device using 15 qualitative characters. The results showed a lack of variability in ten sweet grain sorghum traits that resulted in zero Shannon-Weaver diversity indices. However, the type of panicle, the color of the grain, the cover of the grain, the appearance of the endosperm and the botanical race make it possible to clearly distinguish sweet grain sorghum from the other two cultivated sorghums. Indeed, sorghum sweet grain usually has a loose panicle, floury and red grains that are covered at most on 50% by glumes and often belongs to the caudatum breed. These results could be used in sorghum breeding program. Keywords: Sorghum, genetic variability, genetic relationship, Burkina Fas

Ethnobotanical study of cultivated yellow nutsedge, (Cyperus esculentus L.) in Burkina Faso

The yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. is an herbaceous species whose tubers are the edible parts. The tubers are very popular with children, and can be eaten raw, fried or after processing into a drink (Horchata). However, it does not exist in Burkina, a centralized collection and studies on the genetic variability, the socio-cultural and economic aspects of this species. In order to identify the morphotypes and to welcome the peasant knowledge on the management of the, yellow nutsedge, a prospection followed by collection of tubers were carried out in the main areas of production of this crop. A total of 22 villages in eight districts were visited and 108 accessions of tubers were collected. It emerges from this study that the cultivation is mainly practiced by women (97% of farmers). The cultivated yellow nutsedge is adapted to drought and to several types of soil. In addition, farmers classify the tubers according to their shape and size. Thus, the spherical tubers are qualified as "small tubers the non-spherical tubers as" large tubers. The number of tubers produced per foot varies from 20 to 60. Farmers use phenotypic characters, sexual dimorphism and ethnicity to name accessions for sweet peas. Vernacular names and methods of producing yellow nutsedge vary by region and ethnicity. According to the respondents, 84.34% think that the nut is of Burkinabé origin, 9.26% Ghanaian, 1.85% from Mali and 5.35% have no answers. There is great diversity in local knowledge and accessions collected in Burkina.Keywords: Ethnobotany, tubers, accessions, morphotypes

Effect of Silica on Rice Agromorphological Diversity Under Iron Toxicity Conditions in Lowland Rice of Guinea Conakry

Rice is the second most important cereal in West Africa and is an essential element in the diet of the population. However, iron toxicity is one of the major edaphic constraints in lowland rice cultivation. The large amount of ferrous ions in solution causes an imbalance in nutrients involving a nutritional disorder affecting the growth of crops including rice. The present study conducted in 2014 in Guinea Conakry in the lowlands of the Kilissi Agronomic Research Station aimed to evaluate the effect of silica on reducing of the effect of iron toxicity in rice. Thus, rice varieties were evaluated according to a split plot device with three (3) randomized replications for two factors (rice varieties and silica doses) and three (3) silica treatments (D0 g, D120 g and D240 g). The results showed a significant effect of silica on most agronomic parameters of the rice varieties tested. The D240 g dose gave the best yields of up to 6.9 t/h. Seventeen (17) varieties exhibited good agronomic characteristics of yield, cycle, and weight of 1000 grains. In addition, the study reveals a possibility of reducing the effect of iron toxicity in lowlands in Guinea by the combined use of silica and rice varieties resistant or tolerant to iron. The genetic variability observed with certain tolerant varieties with ferrous toxicity like CK4 could be exploited in our national rice breeding program

Post-Harvest Management Practices Of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna Subterranea (L.) Verdc) Seeds In Burkina Faso

Bambara groundnut plays a major role in the production systems and diets of farmers in Burkina Faso. This crop, due to certain production, storage, or preservation conditions, is subject to damage by insects and fungi. Effective post-harvest management can contribute significantly to reducing losses during storage. This study was carried out in the three agro-ecological areas in Burkina Faso to assess post-harvest management practices of Bambara groundnut among farmers. The data were collected from 180 farmers using surveys. The results showed that the culture of Bambara groundnut was mainly carried out by women (74.4%) on small farms (0.25-0.5ha). The harvested crops were dried at home during a period of 5 to 14 days. About 53% of farmers stored seeds for more than 3 months. Seeds were mainly stored in hermetically sealed cans (45.6%) and in plastic bags (31.1%). Some products such as wood ash and chemicals were used for seed storage. Challenges during seed storage were insects (91.4%) and fungi (42.9%). In the case of seeds attacked by pests (insects, fungi, etc.), farmers (84.4%) adopt a set of measures consisting of sorting, winnowing, drying, and repackaging the seeds. Besides the existence of traditional storage techniques, there is still a need to develop effective storage techniques and continue building farmers’ awareness on improved storage technologies to avoid post-harvest losses

Aspects electroneuromyographiques des traumatismes du plexus brachial

Introduction: L’électroneuromyogramme (ENMG) garde une place cruciale dans l’exploration du plexus brachial. L’objectif de cette étude était d’étudier les caractéristiques électroneuromyographiques des atteintes plexiques brachiales post-traumatiques et de déterminer les facteurs associés à la topographie et à la sévérité des lésions. Patients et méthodes: Une étude rétrospective a été réalisée dans le service de Neurologie du CHU RAZI incluant les patients adressés à l’unité d’électroneurophysiologie pour une atteinte traumatique du plexus brachial durant la période allant de janvier 2003 à juin 2018. Les données démographiques, cliniques et les résultats de l’ENMG ont été recueillis et analysés. La sévérité de la lésion a été évaluée selon la version modifiée de l’échelle de Dumitru et Wilbourn. Résultats: Nous avons colligé 36 plexopathies brachiales post traumatiques chez 35 patients (H/F = 30/5, âge moyen = 39,3 ans). L’ENMG a été réalisé 3 semaines après le traumatisme chez 91,3% des patients. Il a montré une conduction nerveuse altérée (97,2 %), un tracé neurogène (91,7 %) et des signes de dénervation (55,6 %). Le niveau lésionnel concernait les troncs primaires (66,7 %) et les troncs secondaires (33,3 %). Il était sans lien significatif avec la cause (p>0,05). La lésion était sévère (61,1 %), modérée (36,1 %) et légère (2,8 %) sans association significative ni avec la cause ni avec le site lésionnel (p>0,05). Conclusion: Notre étude a permis d’appuyer le rôle de l’ENMG dans l’étude de la plexopathie brachiale post traumatique. Elle a démontré que la topographie et la sévérité des lésions étaient indépendantes des étiologies du traumatisme.   English title: Electroneuromyogram findings of traumatic brachial plexus injuries Background: Electroneuromyogram (ENMG) plays a crucial role in the exploration of the brachial plexus. The purpose of this study was to investigate the electroneuromyographic characteristics of posttraumatic plexus brachial damage and to determine the factors associated with the topography and severity of the lesions. Patients and methods:  A retrospective study was carried out in the Neurology Department of the RAZI University Hospital including patients referred to the electroneurophysiology unit for traumatic brachial plexus damage during the period from January 2003 to June 2018. Demographic, clinical and ENMG’s data results were collected and analyzed. The severity of the lesion was evaluated according to the modified version of the Dumitru and Wilbourn scale. Results:  We collected 36 post-traumatic brachial plexopathies in 35 patients (M / F = 30/5, mean age = 39.3 years). ENMG was performed 3 weeks after trauma in 91.3% of patients. He showed impaired nerve conduction (97.2%), a neurogenic trace (91.7%) and signs of denervation (55.6%). The lesion level concerned the primary trunks (66.7%) and the secondary trunks (33.3%). It was not significantly related to the cause (p> 0.05). The lesion was severe (61.1%), moderate (36.1%) and mild (2.8%) with no significant association with either the cause or the site of injury (p> 0.05). Conclusion:  Our study supported the role of ENMG in the study of post-traumatic brachial plexopathy. It demonstrated that the topography and the severity of the lesions were independent of the etiologies of the trauma. &nbsp

Combining ability patterns among West African pearl millet landraces and prospects for pearl millet hybrid breeding

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is an important hybrid crop in India. However, to date limited pearl millet hybrid development has been undertaken in West Africa (WA), which is the center of pearl millet origin and diversity and where this crop is most important outside India. Using a diverse set of WA pearl millet germplasm, objectives of this study were to determine the superiority of population hybrids over open-pollinated varieties for agro-morphological and agronomic traits in WA pearl millet germplasm; and (ii) to derive strategies for pearl millet hybrid breeding in WA, based on quantitative-genetic parameters, combining ability and heterotic patterns among geographically close versus distant pearl millet populations. A 10 × 10 factorial mating design was performed with four parental OPVs from each of five WA countries. The 100 population hybrids and their parents were tested for 14 traits at six locations in one year, thereby using contrasting locations to indirectly sample the rainfall variability inherent to WA pearl millet production environments. Grain yield showed an average panmictic midparent heterosis (PMpH) of 16.7%, ranging from −26 to 73%. The mean grain yield of hybrids based on inter-country crosses did not differ significantly from intra-country crosses. Geographic distance between parents was positively correlated with hybrid grain yield (r = 0.31), but not with PMpH . Some crosses between accessions from Niger/Nigeria and Senegal were outstanding. Predictability of population hybrid performance for grain yield was moderate based on midparent values (r = 0.43) and slightly better based on general combining ability (GCA) (r = 0.56). Overall, pearl millet hybrid breeding in WA seems very promising, but there do not seem to be clear “natural” heterotic groups among WA pearl millet landraces. Such heterotic groups as the basis of sustainable hybrid breeding need rather to be created systematically, by building on existing combining ability patterns and aiming to maximize combining ability between the groups

Genetic Diversity of Jatropha curcas in Burkina Faso Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

Jatropha curcas L. is a perennial oleaginous plant commonly used in tropical areas as a medicinal plant in the construction of defensive hedges against animals, and in the fight against water erosion. It produces oil which can be used as agrofuel or soap-making. Despite its potential, the species remain under-exploited and its genetic diversity is still not very well-known in Burkina Faso. This paper focuses on determining the level and structure of the genetic diversity of 50 accessions collected in three phytogeographical sectors of the country using 12 microsatellite markers. Resultsrevealed a total of 37 alleles in the studied population with an average of 3 alleles per locus, a number of 2.717 effective alleles, and a Shannon diversity index of 1.663. Mean observed heterozygosity and mean expected heterozygosity were 0.144 and 0.356, respectively. Accessions were structured into three genetic groups. The high genetic distance of 0.177 was observed between groups A and B, and a low genetic distance of 0.075 was observed between groups B and C. These preliminary results showed that microsatellites are promising tools that can be used for the characterization of J. curcas. They indicate that the population studied has a low genetic diversity, but it is sufficient to develop programs for conservation and sustainable development of the species

Agro-morphological Characterization of West and Central African Pearl Millet Accessions

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] was domesticated in Sahelian West Africa. This highly outcrossing crop is one of the most important staple cereals in the semiarid tropics, adapted to very harsh rain-fed conditions. Agro-morphological characterization of local germplasm is very important to better understand existing diversity, ease targeted genetic broadening of breeding populations, and potentially link this knowledge to genotypic information. The objectives of our study were to (i) characterize West and Central African (WCA) pearl millet accessions based on their agro-morphological traits; (ii) evaluate the possibility to group accessions based on their agro-morphological characteristics; (iii) determine geographic patterns of phenotypic differentiation; and (iv) derive conclusions for pearl millet improvement in WCA. A total of 360 early-tomedium maturity accessions were phenotyped for 12 agro-morphological traits at six environments in WCA. Wide ranges of all observed traits indicated a high diversity of the tested accessions. Principal component analysis revealed very large diversity within individual countries, especially within Mali and Burkina Faso. Some limited grouping of accessions from Niger, Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco, and Mauritania was observed for individual principal component axes. Geographical differentiation and country differences were detected for several traits. The results and data presented in our study reflect WCA pearl millets’ tremendous diversity and adaptability to a wide range of environments and give a sound basis for breeders to select and utilize this germplasm to serve the manifold needs of WCA pearl millet farmers