Evaluation of the agronomic performance, beta-carotene content and dry matter content of 228 sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) genotypes in Burkina Faso
Paper Details
Evaluation of the agronomic performance, beta-carotene content and dry matter content of 228 sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) genotypes in Burkina Faso
Abstract
Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is a crop cultivated mainly for its root tubers. Unfortunately, sweet potato varieties currently promoted in Burkina Faso produce yields that remain low compared with the species’ potential. Additionally, most are white-fleshed, which are nutritionally less rich than orange-fleshed varieties. The aim of this study is to evaluate the agro-morphological performance of 21 families and 228 sweet potato genotypes, derived from crosses between seven parent varieties over two consecutive seasons. The cross design used was a complete diallel without self-pollination. The experiments were conducted at the Centre for Environmental, Agricultural Research and Training (CREAF) experimental station at Kamboinsé during the 2023 and 2024 cropping seasons. The experimental layout followed an alpha lattice design with three replications, five blocks per replication, and twenty-five genotypes per block. Data were collected on agro-morphological variables, beta-carotene content and dry matter content. The analysis of variance revealed a highly significant difference (p<0.001) among genotypes and parents over the two years of evaluation. Estimation of heterosis showed families with positive and high heterosis compared with the parents. The BfxTu and HexTu families had the best heterosis for roots tuber yield (RTY). The best families for beta-carotene content (β-CAR) include IrxSo and BfxSo. The BfxJe and JexSo families showed the best heterosis for leaf biomass yield (LBY). The multivariate analyses grouped the 228 genotypes into 4 groups according to their performance. The best groups were cluster 1 for its high beta-carotene content (β-CAR), cluster2 for its high roots tubers yield potential (RDT) and cluster 3, which was characterised by high dry matter content (DMC).
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Nattan Gamsore*, Koussao Some, Djakaridja Tiama, Pauline Bationo_Kando, 2026. Evaluation of the agronomic performance, beta-carotene content and dry matter content of 228 sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) genotypes in Burkina Faso. Int. J. Biosci., 28(4), 73-84.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.