Agro-Morphological Parameters and Yield of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Under Endogenous Soil Fertility Management Practices in the North Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso

In the commune of Sourgoubila, province of Kourwéogo (Burkina Faso), taro production by women is a long-standing practice that takes place on degraded land that they have reclaimed through endogenous agricultural practices. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of different soil fertility management practices and to determine the agro-morphological parameters and yield of taro under endogenous soil fertility management practices. To this end, soil sampling was initially conducted in soils under sustainable land management practices in the villages of Sourgoubila and Guèla. Subsequently, morphological parameters and taro yield were determined under endogenous soil fertility management practices for a period of two years. Regardless of the site, the endogenous practices employed by women to reclaim degraded soils under taro cultivation resulted in a 162% increase in total soil carbon and a 0.54 unit increase in pH. The endogenous soil fertility management practices employed at Guèla and Sourgoubila resulted in a significant increase in the assimilable phosphorus content, with a 60% increase observed at Guèla and a 246% increase observed at Sourgoubila, in comparison to the soil without management. The most favourable growth parameters were identified with the endogenous soil fertility management practices employed by women at the Sourgoubila site, regardless of the type of variables observed. The plant height exhibited a range of 85 to 105 cm at Sourgoubila and 76 to 96 cm at Guèla in 2022 and 2023, respectively. On average, the height of taro plants increased by 24.60% annually. The leaf length and width exhibited a range of 35 to 40 cm, with an average leaf length increasing by 11.36% per year. The number of pups varied from 5 to 8, with an annual decrease of 24%. The results indicate that there is no significant difference between the two sites in terms of yield, with an average yield of 10 t/ha. The reclamation of degraded land for taro ............