Place of Groundnut in the Cropping System, Constraints, Local Taxonomy and Farmers' Criteria for Characterizing Groundnut Cultivars in Niger

Abstract

The groundnut is a leguminous, olea-proteaginous, cultivated in all the tropical zones throughout the world. In Niger, groundnut is used both as a cash and food crop and is highly valued for its nutritional and economic qualities. In order to show the local diversity of groundnut and its place in the cultivation system in Niger, a prospecting survey and seed collection was conducted in the regions of Zinder, Maradi, Tahoua and Dosso, which account for more than 90% of the national production. Two hundred and seventeen (217) producers were surveyed, using a quota-oriented technic. It emerged from this study that groundnut is generally grown pure or in association with cereals (millet, sorghum) or other legumes (cowpea, sorrel, sesame). Few producers know the varieties they use (55 437, RRB, JL 24, FLEUR 11); the rest only know the local names of the varieties (El Laray, El Haoussa, MargaMarga, El Dakar, Mai Silbi, Garangagia, Bahaoussa, El Masar, Tsougouné, El Arba'in). This denomination depends on the origin of the variety, its morphology and earliness. The seeds are generally sold or used for transformation and the leaves are also either sold or kept for animals. Haulms are mostly given to animals during the dry season. The prices of haulms and seeds are higher during the same period and therefore vary according the periods. Producers cited several constraints related to groundnut production which are Insufficient fertilizer, diseases and insect pests, insufficient rainfall, and problem of seeds quality.