A b s t r a c t A r t i c l e I n f oAlthough maize is an economic crop among agroecological zones in Benin, there is a limited information on its varietal diversity, production constraints and ethnobotanical knowledge. To fill this gap, ethnobotanical survey was conducted among 51 communities from 22 ethnic groups randomly selected from 11 departments in Benin using participatory rural appraisal. A total of 161 accession names of maize were recorded and collected from the study area. Results of the study showed a strong correlation between the age of the producers and the number of varieties produced. Similarly, there was a relationship between total maize yield produced and size of the farm cultivated. In the North, maize varieties are classified based on seed color or maturity period, while in the South plant morphology and origin are mostly used. Across ethnic groups, variety preference criteria depended on specific production constraints and its socio-cultural importance. Based on the perceived agronomic traits of the varieties reported by farmers, collected samples were clustered into four groups of complementary characteristics that are of high importance for maize breeding in Benin.

A b s t r a c t A r t i c l e I n f oThe knowledge of the agro-morphological diversity within a crop and its distribution across agro-ecological zones could be of a great help in the management of its germplasm and the development of strategies for its improvement. In this study the phenotypic diversity within a germplasm of 127 accessions of Benin rice varieties is assessed through agro-morphological characterisation with 24 qualitative and 20 quantitative variables. Within the quantitative parameters, the most variable were plant height (PlH), leaf length (LeafL), panicle leaf length (FlagLL), number of tillers (NberTillers), yield (GrYield), sowing to heading cycle (SHC), sowing-to-maturity cycle (80%SMC), leaf width (LeafW), while the less variable were grain length, grain width, panicle length. Within the qualitative ones, form of the caryopses, attitude of ramifications and color of apex (1) expressed the higher variability. A large phenotypic diversity as measured by the Shannon-Weaver diversity index, was observed within accessions (H= 0.72) and across agro-ecological zones (0.29) and phenotypic groups (0.48). Lowland accessions being less diverse than those cultivated in highland. With the country, Zone IV including Boukoumbé, Djougou, Kobli, Matéri, Sinendé and Tanguiéta is the main area of high diversity. Multivariate analysis classified accessions into three groups (Gp1, Gp2 and Gp3) of different characteristics.

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