No abstract

Aflatoxin contamination of staple crops by Aspergillus flavus and closely related fungi is common across the Sahel region of Africa. Aflatoxins in maize, groundnut, and sorghum collected at harvest or from farmers’ stores within two weeks of harvest from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were quantified. Thereafter, aflatoxin exposure values were assessed using per capita consumption rates of those crops. Mean aflatoxin concentrations in maize were high, 128, 517, and 659 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. The estimated probable daily intake (PDI) of aflatoxins from maize ranged from 6 to 69, 29 to 432, and 310 to 2100 ng/kg bw/day in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Similarly, mean aflatoxin concentrations in sorghum were high, 76 and 259 µg/kg in Mali and Niger, respectively, with an estimated PDI of 2–133 and 706–2221. For groundnut, mean aflatoxin concentrations were 115, 277, and 628 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Aflatoxin exposure values were high with an estimated 9, 28, and 126 liver cancer cases/100,000 persons/year in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Several samples were extremely unsafe, exceeding manyfold regulatory levels of diverse countries (up to 2000 times more). Urgent attention is needed across the Sahel for integrated aflatoxin management for public health protection, food and nutrition security, and access to trade opportunities.

Macrotyloma geocarpum est une légumineuse dont sa culture est largement abandonnée au profit de celle d’autres légumineuses. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’identifier les écotypes performants à partir d’une caractérisation agromorphologique dans les conditions pluviales. Les résultats ont montré une diversité phénotypique entre les écotypes pour les caractères couleur du tégument, couleur des fleurs et du pétiole. L’analyse de variance a révélé une faible variabilité entre les caractères quantitatifs. La classification ascendante hiérarchique a mis en évidence 3 ensembles de diversité agro-morphologique. Le premier groupe constitué de 3 écotypes à graines noires, est caractérisé par un nombre important de feuilles trifoliolées à la floraison, un cycle du semis à la floraison intermédiaire et un poids de 100 bonnes graines élevé. Le second groupe compte un seul écotype à graines blanches, caractérisé par un cycle de floraison précoce, un nombre de feuilles trifoliolées faible et un poids de 100 bonnes graines faible. Le troisième groupe constitué de 3 écotypes à graines noires, est caractérisé par un cycle de floraison tardif, un nombre de feuilles trifoliolées moyen et un poids de 100 bonnes graines moyen. Ces résultats pourront contribuer à la création de variétés performantes répondant aux attentes des producteurs et consommateurs.Mots clés: Culture négligée, génotypes, caractères, variabilité, climat. English Title: Agro-morphological evaluation of seven earth lens (Macrotyloma geocarpum) ecotypes cultivated in Burkina FasoMacrotyloma geocarpum is a legume whose cultivation is largely abandoned in favor of that of other legumes. The objective of this study was to identify successful ecotypes based on agromorphological characterization in rainfed conditions. The results showed phenotypic diversity between the ecotypes for seed coat color, flower color and petiole color. Analysis of Variance revealed little variability between quantitative traits. The hierarchical ascending classification has highlighted 3 sets of agro-morphological diversity. The first group consisting of 3 black-seeded ecotypes is characterized by a large number of trifoliate leaves at flowering, a cycle of sowing at intermediate flowering and a high weight of 100 good seeds. The second group has only one white-seeded ecotype characterized by an early flowering cycle, a low trifoliate leaf count and a low good seed weight of 100. The third group of 3 black-seeded ecotypes is characterized by a late flowering cycle, a medium number of trifoliate leaves and a medium weight of 100 good seeds. These results can contribute to the creation of high-performance varieties that meet the expectations of producers and consumers.Keywords: Neglected crop, Genotypes, characters, variability, climate.