Agro-Morphological Diversity and Yield Performance of 21 Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Varieties from Different Agro-Ecological Zones Evaluation in Maradi, Eastern Niger

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a major cereal crop well adapted to the harsh environmental conditions of arid and semi-arid regions. In Niger, it ranks as the second most important food crop after pearl millet and plays a crucial role in food security. This study was conducted at the CERRA Maradi Research Station (13？27′72″ N latitude and 7？06′54″ E longitude) to evaluate the agronomic performance of twenty-one (21) sorghum varieties originating from different agro-ecological zones. The experiment was laid out using a randomized incomplete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among varieties for several agronomic traits, including number of plants emerged, days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of green leaves on the main stem, and biomass production. Both positive and negative correlations were observed among the measured parameters, notably between the number of panicles harvested per plot and panicle dry matter yield, panicle dry matter yield and 1000-grain weight, number of panicles and grain yield, grain yield and biomass weight, midge incidence and number of panicles, as well as between flowering cycle, plant height, and biomass. Ascending Hierarchical Classification (AHC) allowed the identification of high-performing varieties, namely ISRA-S-754-83, 016-SB-BC1F6-11, ISRA-S-754-12, Sepon82, 90SN7, and Témoin 1, characterized by good average yields, intermediate maturity cycles, and tolerance to diseases. The Saba Nafante variety was identified as the most productive; however, it exhibited susceptibility to diseases. These results highlight the existence of significant genetic variability among sorghum varieties and provide valuable information for selecting adaptable and high-yielding genotypes for sorghum improvement programs in Niger.