Farmer preferences for groundnuttraits and varieties in West Africa: Cases of Mali, Niger and Nigeria.Working Paper Series no. 27

Participatory varietal selection trials were implemented in Mali, Niger and Nigeria and were used to assess farmers’ preferences for plant and seed traits of selected groundnut varieties. Using a panel of farmers in every country, plant and seed traits were assessed and found to be statistically associated with the varieties tested. Ordered probit models were used to identify plant and seed traits liked by panelists. Color of the leaves, maturity (short cycle), number of pods, pod size, constriction, pod yield, pod filling and taste were the important attributes explaining farmers ranking for varieties in Mali. In Niger, the color of the leaves, the number of pods per plant, pod filling, pod beak, and pod yield were the most important traits sought by farmers. In Nigeria, plant vigor, plant maturity, plant type, number of pods per plant, pod size, haulm yield and pod yield were the preferred traits. These traits should be used to identify varieties (from large germplasm collections) most likely to be adopted by farmers. Varieties with traits sought by farmers should be promoted and used to build sustainable seed supply systems. Attributes such as color of leaves, pod reticulation and pod beak tend to be overlooked and should be included in future breeding programs Ndjeunga J, Ntare BR, Abdoulaye A, Ibro A, Zarafi MA, Cisse Y, Moutari A, Kodio O, Echekwu CA, Mohammed SG and Micko I