Yield and yield components of some landraces and wild relatives of Bambara groundnut grown in two savannah agro-ecologies in Nigeria

Bambara groundnut is one of the promising African legumes with the potential to contribute to food and nutritional security. However, it has not received the desired research attention, making it to be categorised amongst underutilised and endangered crop species in the world. In this study, seventeen landraces and two wild relatives of Bambara groundnut were evaluated in two agro-ecologies in northern Nigeria during the 2022 and 2023 cropping seasons. The accessions were laid out in the field using the randomised complete block design in four replicates. The results showed significant differences (p<0.05) amongst the landraces and the wild relatives for the yield and yield components investigated at both locations. Genotypic, phenotypic and environmental variance as well as genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variability differed amongst the yield and yield components. Broad sense heritability, genetic advance and genetic advance as percent of population mean also differed amongst the yield and yield components. The results suggest that potentials exist for the improvement of the landraces and wild relatives of the Bambara groundnut and that effort should be intensified to conserve the crop for the benefit of mankind as the threat to food scarcity in Sub-Saharan Africa is becoming increasingly pronounced.