Agromorphological diversity of cassava cultivars (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in marginal production zones in Côte d'Ivoire

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important foodstuff for the world’s population. In Côte d’Ivoire, it is the second most important food crop after yam. However, production remains low to cover the food needs of the ivorian population. The aim of this study was to carry out an agromorphological evaluation of cassava cultivars, in order to identify suitable candidates for increasing national production in marginal production zones. Twenty (20) cassava cultivars collected in different agroecological production zones of Côte d’Ivoire were characterized on the basis of 8 quantitative variables in a Fisher block design with 3 replications in northern of Côte d’Ivoire, a marginal cassava production zone. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Hierarchical Ascending Classification (HAC), revealed significant agromorphological variability among accessions, and also for the traits studied. PCA results confirmed this morphological variability at 73.70%. Hierarchical Ascending Classification (HAC) was used to structure these cultivars into 3 groups of morphological diversity, differentiated by plant height (HPL), height of first branching (HRAM1), tuberous root weight per plant and yield. Group 3 contains the cultivars with the highest yields, with an average of 14.78 ± 7.68. Cultivars in group 3 can be selected as elite varieties, adapted for growing cassava in marginal production zones to increase national production. These cultivars also offer a wide choice of genitors for cassava breeding in Côte d’Ivoire. published by the International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR)