Agronomic Characterization of Bambara Groundnuts Accessions (Vigna subterranea (L.)) on Sudano-Guinean zone, Adamawa-Cameroon

Aims: This study aims to identify agronomic traits responsible for the variation between 20 accessions of Bambara groundnuts in order to retain adapted genotype on pedoclimatic conditions of the Sudano-Sahelean area of Cameroon. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out on July 2015 in Dang on Sudano-Guinean zone of Cameroon in order to identify agronomic traits responsible for variation among 20 accessions of Bambara groundnuts. Methodology: The experimental design in field is a block completely randomized with 3 repetitions. Eleven quantitative characters selected among the describer of Bambara groundnut were evaluated by the multivariate analysis. Results: The analysis of variance shows a significant difference for ten characters among eleven characters studied which show an important variability between these characters. Seven characters are correlated on two prime of principles components which explaining 44.32 % of total variability. Dendrogram rising of hierarchical classification permit to differentiate 5 groups of morphological diversity. The fifth group gathers the earliest varieties with a time of 121 days maturity. Highly positive correlation is (r=0.72). Characters analyzed may constitute some base of criterion to differentiate the varieties from others regions and must be used on the program of improvement varieties of Bambara groundnut in Cameroon. Conclusion: In all of the 11 characters evaluated in this study, only one of them could not differentiate the accessions. Important variability between characters was observed. The rising of hierarchical classification showed one of important agronomic diversity and regroup the accessions in 5 groups.