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On-farm yield potential of local seed watermelon landraces under heat- and drought-prone conditions in Mali

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2011

A. D. NANTOUMÉ ,
J. L. CHRISTIANSEN ,
S. B. ANDERSEN  and
B. D. JENSEN
A. D. NANTOUMÉ
Affiliation:
Institut d'Economie Rurale/CRRA-Sotuba, Programme Fruits and Légumes, BP 262 Bamako, Mali Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
J. L. CHRISTIANSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
S. B. ANDERSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
B. D. JENSEN*
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: dahl@life.ku.dk and brita_dj@hotmail.com
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Summary

On-farm yield experiments were carried out in the Tombouctou region of Mali in 2009/10 under heat- and drought-prone desert conditions with three local landraces of seed-type watermelons. The landraces, named Fombou, Kaneye and Musa Musa by the farmers, exhibited distinct characteristics for fruit morphology, but in particular for seed traits. On average, the three landraces produced a fruit yield of 11·6 t/ha and an estimated seed yield of 364 kg/ha, with no significant differences among landraces. Kaneye showed the highest stability of fruit number/ha in different field environments, suggesting this landrace is the best among the three for a poor growing environment, whereas Fombou and especially Musa Musa responded positively to more favourable environments. Seed weight revealed a different trend, with Fombou as the most responsive to favourable conditions, while Kaneye and Musa Musa were less responsive. The yields obtained suggest that these local landraces of watermelon are valuable plant genetic resources for securing food supply in arid, heat- and drought-prone areas.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 150 , Issue 6 , December 2012 , pp. 665 - 674
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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