Agromorphological Characterization and Agronomic Assessment of Corchorus aestuans L.: A Traditional Leafy Vegetable from Burkina Faso

Abstract

This study presents an agromorphological characterisation of 20 accessions of Corchorus aestuans L. from four provinces in Burkina Faso. The objective was to contribute to a better understanding of the agromorphological diversity of Corchorus aestuans L. in Burkina Faso. To this end, 26 traits, including 14 qualitative and 12 quantitative ones, were evaluated. The study was conducted over two rainy growing seasons (2021 and 2022) at the IRD experimental station in Gampéla using randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed high agromorphological variability, leading to the identification of two morphotypes, purplish-red and purple. The best performances for the traits studied (petiole length, leaf length and width, peduncle length, fruit length and diameter, plant height, stem diameter, and number of branches) were obtained in 2022. Strong accession x year interactions were observed for all traits studied. Hierarchical Ascending Classification (HAC) using Ward’s aggregation method and Euclidean distance allowed the accessions to be grouped into three clusters based on the agronomic traits. Group I consisted of accessions with the shortest growth cycle (54.61 days), the lowest number of branches (10.95), and the lowest leaf mass production (87.59 g fresh mass and 29.81 g dry mass). Group II consisted of large-sized accessions (50.90 cm), highly branched (13.94) with robust stems (1.10 cm) and the highest leaf mass (106.41 g fresh mass and 35.09 g dry mass). Finally, Group III was characterised by accessions with a long growth cycle (61.10 days).