Analysis on Mineral Element Contents in Associated with Varietal Type in Core Collection of Yunnan Rice

Eight-element contents of 653 unpolished rice samples harvested from Xingping experiment farm, Yunnan Province under the same ecological conditions were analyzed by ICP-AES method. The mineral elements content were closely related to low diversity, high-yielding, and multi-resistance breeding; The K, Mg, Ca and Mn content in high-yielding and resistant varieties were high, and other nutrients such as P, Fe, Zn and Cu were low, which was connected with the heredity and physiological mechanism of mineral nutrients. There is zonal distribution of mineral elements content from Yunnan rice, especially for P, Fe, Zn and Cu co-related with the diversity center, paddy versus upland, glutinous and non-glutinous, glume-hair versus nuda, rice color, rice flavor, soft rice versus non-soft rice, but it did not find any association with indica-japonica types. The results supported the ecological variety group view of 5-grade taxonomic system species-subspecies-ecological groups-ecological variety groups - varietal types' .

Combination of Piper guineense Essential Oil with Cowpea Varietal Resistance in Control of Cowpea Seed Beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera： Chrysomelidae： Bruchinae)

To reduce the risks associated with over-dependence on synthetic insecticides and ensure leguminous food security, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the potentials of integrating Piper guineense essential oil （PgEO） with cowpea varietal resistance in the control of cowpea seed beetle, Callosobruehus maculatus Fabricius. Four cowpea varieties （Sokoto, Drum, Oloyin and Gwallam） were studied. Data collected included oviposition, progeny emergence, Reproductive Efficiency （RE） and Percentage Seed Damage （PSD）. At first filial generation, numbers of eggs laid on Oloyin variety treated with 25 μL PgEO per 25 g cowpea seeds （2.15） were significantly （p〈0.05） lower than the values obtained in untreated cowpea （3.61） and hexane-treated seeds （3.07）. C. maculatus RE on Oloyin （33.73） was significantly （p〈0.05） lower than values obtained on other varieties （47.34-54.67） for seeds without PgEO; and were significantly greater than 0.00 observed on Oloyin seeds treated with 50 pL PgEO. PSD on Oloyin （6.63%） was significantly （p〈0.05） lower than the values obtained on Sokoto （10.04%） and Drum （9.79%） for seeds without PgEO, while there was no damage in Oloyin treated with 50 pL PgEO. Significantly （p〈0.05） lower F2 progeny emergence occurred on Oloyin （4.02） and Sokoto （4.71） compared with Drum （9.03） and Gwallam （6.07） from the untreated cowpea seeds. The results implied that application of PgEO to Oloyin gave better protection from infestation of C. maculatus than other varieties. Hence, combination of varietal resistance with PgEO for management ofbruchid could be an effective mean of improving cowpea food security.

Obtaining New Potato Cultivars with Late Blight Resistance and Adapted to Climate Change Using Participatory Varietal Selection

The potato crop in Peru is the main income and food source for the smallholder of the highland grower of the Peruvian Andes.For urban population,it represents one of the main components of the food basket and for commercial intermediaries.It is the main brokerage product considering its volume and value.To facilitate the adoption and diffusion of new potato cultivars after its release,adequate methodologies are necessary to apply during the process of evaluation and selection.One of these methodologies is called participatory varietal selection(PVS).The objective of this study was to identify new potato cultivars and/or genotypes with resistance or tolerance to adverse effects of climate change applying PVS,in order to obtain new varieties with acceptable economic yields.In this way potato growers of the Peruvian highland Andes should benefit through the improvement of their economic status,food security and overall life quality.During 2016-2017,three potato clones(CIP393079.4,CIP387096.2 and CIP396034.268)and two commercial varieties(Unica,Canchan)were evaluated at eight Peruvian locations in three regions(Huánuco,Junín and Huancavelica).Data were analyzed using a randomized complete block design,with three replications.Main criteria for selection were late blight resistance,abundant foliage,drought tolerance,yield and uniform and healthy tubers.In all three regions the three best clones selected were CIP396034.268,CIP393079.4 and CIP387096.2,ranking in first,second and third place,respectively.Men and women selected the same clones,but in a different order.Commercial cultivars ranked 4th and 5th.However,local growers selected Canchan,CIP387096.2 and CIP393079.4 based on appearance,texture and taste tests.The last two clones(CIP387096.2 and CIP393079.4)should be considered for a future release.

Assessment of Farmer’s Practices on the Rubber Nursery Management Using Growing Medium and Varietal Selection in Mon State

Rubber is an economically important perennial crop in Myanmar for latex production. As the rubber plantation area increases yearly, the requirement of vigorous rubber seedlings for its establishment plays a central role. The success of rubber plantations depends on some farming practices such as using different compost or other materials in the potting soil-medium, varietal selection for stock and scion in the budding process, and fertilizer application methods. The objective of this study was to assess the farmer’s practices in the establishment of rubber nurseries in mostly rubber planted areas in Myanmar. The survey interviewed 60 respondents from three townships in Mon State, namely Mudon, Kyaikmaraw, and Thanbyuzayat. The response data were analyzed through the descriptive method. This survey exposed the potentially active operators (middle age of 30 - 60 years) in rubber nursery production. Local experienced farmers usually raised the budded seedlings with 15 cm × 23 cm polyethylene bag in all study regions. Most farmers selected multi-clonal seed for stock and BPM 24 for scion according to the local market demand and high latex yield. All survey areas used both organic and inorganic fertilizers for nutrient management. Compost is a chief component of growing medium in their nursery production. However, making compost and high demand of the compost were local constraints. Therefore, this survey suggested improving the proper composting method for rubber nursery establishment.

Transitivity of varietal hypercube networks

The varietal hypercube VQn is a variant of the hypercube Qn and has better properties than Qn with the same number of edges and vertices. This paper proves that VQn is vertex-transitive. This property shows that when VQn is used to model an interconnection network, it is high symmetrical and obviously superior to other variants of the hypercube such as the crossed cube.

Comparison between varietal purity and zymogram purity in maize

The zymogram purity of 5 inbred lines,7 single cross hybrids and 7 single cross hybrids mixed with their parental lines was examined by a vertical discontinous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results indicate that the maize hybrid impurity is mainly composed of three parts:mixed with the seeds from parents or other source, contaminated with the seeds resulting from unknown pollination and variable in genetic background. It was found that the varietal purity is higher than the zymogram purity and they showed a linear relationship. The regression coefficient (r) between varietal purity and zymogram purity is 0.898 2. There is an average of 3.5% variable in the field. However,using a known rate of the mixed seeds, their regression coefficient is 0.999 9. It was also found that the examinational mix rate is 0.33% higher than the known mix rate. The seedling rate of the single cross hybrids is 85.71%,but that of hybrids mixed with their parental lines is only 77%. Therefore,it is reasonable to claim that zymogram purity is lower than the varietal purity.

Comparison of phenolic profiles and antioxidant activities in skins and pulps of eleven grape cultivars(Vitis vinifera L.)

Eleven grape cultivars were analysed to explore the variety differences of fresh grape phenolic profiles. The results showed that free phenolics were predominant in grape skins and pulps, and showed the higher antioxidant activities than bound. In 11 cultivars, Muscat Kyoho extracts had the highest total phenolic content in skins(10.525 mg GAE g^(–1) FW) and pulps(1.134 mg GAE g^(–1) FW), and exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavening capacity(EC_(50)=11.7 μg mL^(–1)) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity(ORAC) value(190.57 μmol TE g^(–1) FW) of free phenolic in skin. In addition, the most abundant phenolics in grape skins were found to be flavonoids such as kaempferol in Kyoho skin(541.2 μg g^(–1) FW), rutin, catechin and epicatechin in Muscat Kyoho skin(262.3, 86.3 and 70.0 μg g^(–1) FW, respectively). Furthermore, the principal component analysis showed a strong difference of phenolic profiles with the cultivars, existing forms and distributions. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed a significant linear correlation between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity(P<0.05). Therefore, both skins and pulps were rich sources of bioactive phenolic compounds, and Muscat Kyoho was the ideal source among all samples.

Why are There Indica Type and Japonica Type in Rice?——History of the Studies and a View for Origin of Two Types

On the bases of archaeological discoveries, the earliest domestication of rice has been confirmed in the middle and lower Changjiang River basin, while in the region wild rice populations are found in shallow swamps under a climate with freezing winter cold. These findings lead us to-examine the past ideas about domestication and differentiation of rice. Historically, in 1930s two sub-species, indica and japonica, were proposed on the basis of sterility in F1 hybrids between them. Soon after that, the two types were classified by the associations of a number of genetically independent traits. The characteristic associations of traits have been explained by the hybrid sterility or reproductive barriers which were assumed to comprise a set of duplicate recessive lethal genes and to be an inner genetic mechanism to lead to the varietal differentiations In 1980s, the hybrid sterility between Indica and Japonica types was analyzed, and Indica, Japonica, and wide-compatibility type which gives fertile hybrids when cross to Indica and Japonica types, are proved to contain an allele, S5＇, S5＇ and S5^n, respectively at a locus on chromosome 6. And those gametes having Sj allele are found to be partially aborted in the hybrid genotypes of S5＇/S5＇ while no gamete abortion occurs in S5＇/S5^n and S5＇/S5^n genotypes. Since then, the gene S5^n has been used in hybrid rice breeding to obtain fertile and vigorous hybrids between subspecies, and the long-disputed problem of hybrid sterility has been solved. Also in such studies the characteristic association of traits found in each of vadetal groups is better explained by founder effects. On the other hand, a large number of native cultivars of rice were surveyed with enzyme polymorphism in 1980s and later with molecular markers. As a result, profound genetic diversity is found in cultivated rice as well as in wild rice. These findings seem to lead us to the idea of multiple independent domestications of rice. However, before reaching such a conclusion, at least two factors, i.e., long-distance-dissemination of some genotypes and the possibilities of introgression by local wild rice to primitive cultivars need to be examined. Taking the two factors as well as the historical events into consideration, it is considered here that the perennial japonica cultivars which are close to wild rice in the Changjiang River basin were disseminated to East India through Assam or along the Bengal Bay, where they were transformed under the introgressions of local wild rice and formed a secondary center, from which some genotypes seem to be disseminated to colonies in Southeast Asia under the influence of Hinduism. Later some of the genotypes were introduced into China and constituted so called Indica type. This may be a reasonable picture for the varietal differentiation.

Phenotypic Expression of Whitebacked Planthopper Resistance in the Newly Established japonica/indica Doubled Haploid Rice Population

A new doubled haploid (DH) rice population was established from a cross between WBPH-resistant japonica Chunjiang 06 (CJ-06) and susceptible indica TN1. Sucking inhibitory and ovicidal resistance of the DH rice lines were evaluated on the basis of non-preference response of WBPH immigrants and honeydew excretion by WBPH females, and appearance of watery lesions in the necrotic discoloration of leaf sheaths ovipositied by WBPH,respectively. Both the major gene resistance to WBPH, sucking inhibitory and ovicidal resistance, showed 1 (resistant): 1 (susceptible) segregation ratio in the DH population. Relative density of WBPH populations and damage scores in the DH population indicated combined functions of both the major resistance genes as well as QTLs affecting the host plant response to WBPH infestations. Thus, the newly developed CJ-06/TN1 DH population could be a useful material to analyze major genes and QTLs for WBPH resistance in japonica rice.

Differential Expression of Whitebacked Planthopper Resistance in the japonica/indica Doubled Haploid Rice Population under Field Evaluation and Seedbox Screening Test

Whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) -resistance in a japonica / indica doubled haploid (DH) rice population established from a cross between WBPH-resistant japonica Chun]iang 06 and susceptible indica TN1, was comparatively evaluated through a field experiment based on the WBPH immigrant density and standardized seedbox screening test (SSST). All the susceptible DH lines in the field experiment behaved accordingly in SSST. However, 35 of resistant 66 lines (53%) in the field, were categorized to susceptible groups in SSST. Likewise, there were no significant differences in WBPH immigrant densities among 70 DH lines that were highly resistant to susceptible in SSST. The results revealed that SSST could not evaluate properly WBPH resistance in the DH lines. Four QTLs for WBPH-resistance phenotyped by the immigrant density were detected on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, and 11. Of them, the QTL on chromosome 4 was the most effective (LOD 21.8, variance 78%). Five QTLs associated with seedling mortality were mapped on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. In addition to the QTL (LOD 10.5, variance 68%) on chromosome 4, there was another major QTL (LOD 12.7, variance 71%) located on chromosome 5, which was SSST-specific but might be irrespective of the WBPH resistance traits.

Multiproduct and multistage integrated production planning model and algorithm based on an available production capacity network

This research attempts to devise a multistage and multiproduct short-term integrative production plan that can dynamically change based on the order priority and virtual occupancy for application in steel plants. Considering factors such as the delivery time, varietal compatibility between different products, production capacity of variety per hour, minimum or maximum batch size, and transfer time, we propose an available production capacity network with varietal compatibility and virtual occupancy for enhancing production plan implementation and quick adjustment in the case of dynamic production changes. Here available means the remaining production capacity after virtual occupancy.To quickly build an available production capacity network and increase the speed of algorithm solving, constraint selection and cutting methods with order priority were used for model solving. Finally, the genetic algorithm improved with local search was used to optimize the proposed production plan and significantly reduce the order delay rate. The validity of the proposed model and algorithm was numerically verified by simulating actual production practices. The simulation results demonstrate that the model and improved algorithm result in an effective production plan.

Characterization of Agro-diversity by Seed Storage Protein Electrophoresis:Focus on Rice Germplasm from Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

The characteristics of 48 rice varieties from Uttarakhand Himalaya, India were detected by morphological and biochemical markers. The grains of the selected rice varieties varied in their morphological （grain length, grain width and grain weight） and biochemical characters （sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE）. Based on the presence of 70, 65, 60, 57, 37-39, 22-23, 13 and 10 kDa protein bands in the 48 rice varieties, seven types of profiles were identified. An unweighted pair group average method with arithmetic mean （UPGMA） dendrogram based on cluster analysis of genetic similarity of the protein bands showed two distinct groups with 1%-78% similarity coefficients. The presence of characteristic bands in selected varieties is a useful parameter for identification of rice germplasm.

Marker-assisted Selection of ZmC_4Ppc in Rice Breeding and Yield Trait Performances of Advanced Lines

The full-length of intact Zea mays gene for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene （ZmC4Ppc） is 6 781 bp. The products of PCR for this gene were not clear with poor repeatability, resulting in that it was difficult for marker-assisted selection （MAS） both in rice and maize. For selecting the markers for MAS, sequences presented only in maize rather than in rice were identified by BLAST, and used for primer design using Primer Premier 5.0. A pair of specific primer termed MRpc （Forward： 5＇ AAGCAGGGAAGCGAGACG 3＇, Reverse： 5＇ GATTGCCGCCAGCAGTAG 3＇） was used for selection of transformed rice, and ZmC4Ppc could be highly and constitutively expressed at each tested developmental stages in the transformed rice selected by using MRpc. Thus, MRpc was used for MAS of progenies carrying ZmC4Ppc gene in rice and some restorer lines with ZmC4Ppc （e.g. FPM881） derived from ZmC4Ppc-transformed Kitaake backcrossed with a restorer line Shuhui 881 were obtained. The analyses on genetic background, PEPCase activity, net photosynthetic rate, general combining ability （GCA） and specific combining ability （SCA） of FPM881 showed that similarity of genetic background reached above 95%, the PEPCase and net photosynthetic rate were higher than those of the control, and some of the progenies carrying ZmC4Ppc gene had better GCA and SCA for grain yield per plant, number of panicles per plant, and 1000-grain weight than those of the control. This suggested that the introduction of maize ZmC4Ppc gene via MAS and its stable expression could increase grain yield of rice and would likely provide a pathway for rice varietal improvement.

Farmers'participatory selection of new rice varieties to boost production under temperate agro-ecosystems

In mountain agriculture, early maturity, high grain yield and high biomass are generally considered as farmer preferred traits in rice crop in addition to a multiple set of traits collectively responsible for variety adoption or rejection. The varieties tested only on station evaluation trials without taking the data from the farmers＇ fields by not including farmers as partners for variety evaluation are the reasons of low adoption of varieties. In this regard, a participatory methodology was followed by conducting a number of participatory trials in the farmers＇ fields during 2012-2014 in six districts of Kashmir Valley, India. The mother trials in the farmers＇ fields showed that the test variety SKUA-408 consistently and significantly out yielded Jhelum and farmers＇ variety followed by Shalimar rice 3 （SR3）. The other released varieties like SR1 and SR2 could not perform nicely in the farmers＇ fields because of late maturity. After making the t-test comparison of baby trials （paired plots）, the mean yield superiority of test varieties SKUA-408, SR3, and SKUA-403 over farmers＇ variety during 2013 was around 23, 25, and 22％, respectively, whereas in 2014 the respective yield advantage was recorded as 16.3, 17.7, and 16.2％. In all districts, SKUA-408 and SR3 were significantly preferred by farmers （P〈0.05 or 0.01） in terms of pre-harvest traits namely, tillering ability and general phenotypic acceptability, early maturity and biomass and for post-harvest traits such as general cooking quality besides, the intention to grow the variety for next year. Adoption and dissemination of SKUA-408 began in 2014 from the farm-saved seed in the form of farmer to farmer seed exchange. Farmers are the end users of a variety so the decision by the farmers while judging the variety should be taken into consideration to make the varietal choice more effective for its widespread adoption.

Resistance Performance to Whitebacked Planthopper in Different Phenotypes of Japonica/Indica Doubled Haploid Rice Lines

Field performance of whitebacked planthopper （WBPH）-resistance of four phenotypes was evaluated in Chunjiang 06 （C J-06） / TN1 DH rice lines, which were expressed by different combinations of sucking inhibitory and ovicidal traits inherited independently from C J-06. WBPH established the highest populations in susceptible DH lines that had neither sucking inhibitorynor ovicidal resistance. Both immigration and subsequent population levels were kept below the damage-causing density in the sucking inhibitory DH lines even under a WBPH outbreak. WBPH could not build up populations in the DH lines having both the sucking inhibitory and ovicidal resistance. Although WBPH immigrated preferentially to non-sucking inhibitory DH lines with ovicidal resistance, subsequent population buildup was significantly suppressed. It was concluded that the differential performance to WBPH-resistance in CJ-06 / TN1 DH lines was primarily due to the sucking inhibitory trait, and complementarity to the ovicidal trait.

Preliminary Trial of Cover Cropping and Weed Control for Organic Rice

The experiment site at UAPB agronomy farm was left undisturbed for several years for organic rice experiment. Soil samples taken in September 2015 showed that the experiment site was deficient with plant nutrients (NPK). Therefore, an organic fertilizer, Nature (8-5-5) was applied before planting mixture of crimson clover and winter wheat as cover crop in fall 2015. Biomass samples taken from the cover cropped land (CCL) and fallow land (FL) resulted in decrease in weed biomass by 33.36% and increase in total biomass by 46.78% in CCL than FL. Cover crops were incorporated one month before the rice sowing in June 2016. Fifteen rice cultivars were experimented for weed competition under water seeding cultivation method. Water seeding method was not effective to control the weeds as weeds dominated most of the rice plots since seedling stage. However, two rice cultivars namely Jasmine 85 and Rondo showed strong weed competition due to higher plant stand and better seedling establishment.

Morphological Diversity within <i>Pterocarpus erinaceus</i>Poir. (Fabaceae), an Overexploited Species in the Savannahs of Côte d’Ivoire

Pterocarpus erinaceus is a high socio-economic tree of African savannahs. It is overexploited due to technological qualities of its wood, forage value and medicinal uses. The main objective of this study is the assessment of the morphological variability within this species in Cote d’Ivoire, in sight of rational management. Fourteen morphological traits were used to appraise the variability within 144 trees in production from six sites (Yalo, Moyenne Marahoué, Kahanso, Kouassi-Ndawa, Ouarigué and Téguirdouo). The results indicate that the variability reaches 6.60 for the height of the fruit and 45.99 for the weight of the fruit. The results reveal also that there are three morphological groups of P. erinaceus in Cote d’Ivoire. Of the four traits that revealed a distinction among the three morphotypes, only the width of leaves and the number of leaflets enabled their complete distinction. Trees of group 1 have long leaves with a high number of leaflets and large fruits. Trees of group 2 have small leaves with a reduced number of leaflets and large fruits. Then trees of group 3 have intermediate value of width of leaves and number of leaflet and small fruits. The three morphological groups could be useful for varietal selection of P. erinaceus in Cote d’Ivoire.

Yield Response of Direct Seeded <i>Aus</i>Rice Varieties under Rainfed Condition

Rainfed Aus rice is a popular conventional rice cultivation technique that through appropriate variety selection can accelerate the benefits of the farmer. On this context, an experiment was carried out at the research field of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur1706 from April to August in 2014 to evaluate yield performance of some Aus rice varieties under rainfed condition. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. The experiment consisted of two sets of treatments: water regime as irrigated (irrigation when necessary) and rainfed (dependent on rainfall) in the main plot and 15 varieties into sub-plots. It was revealed that yield and yield contributing characters were significantly influenced by water regime, variety and their interaction. The traits like number of effective tillers and non-effective tillers&middot;hill-1, number of filled grains and unfilled grains panicle-1, panicle length, test weight, grain yield and harvest index were higher in irrigated crops compared to rainfed. Considering the performance of yield, the highest grain yield recorded in BRRI dhan27 (irrigated-2.47 t&middot;ha-1 and rainfed-2.26 t&middot;ha-1) followed by BRRI dhan55 (irrigated-1.95 t&middot;ha-1 and rainfed-1.88 t&middot;ha-1), BRRI dhan48 and BRRI dhan43 under both irrigated and rainfed treatment. BRRI dhan27 ranked the top under both irrigated and rainfed conditions, however the relative yield was maximum in BRRI dhan55 (reduction was only 3.59%) followed by Nerica10. Hence, considering the yield stability and absolute yield performance, BRRI dhan27 may be considered favorably cultivable for Aus season in Bangladesh followed by BRRI dhan55, BRRI dhan48 and BRRI dhan43.

Reproductive Potential of Spermophagus niger (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae: Amblycerini) Developing on the Seeds of Two Roselle Varieties in Burkina Faso

In West Africa and particularly in Burkina Faso, Roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae) is receiving increasing attention as a crop with potential for making great socio-economic impacts. The biology of Spermophagus niger, recently identified as the main insect pest in the storage of roselle seeds, is poorly known. The present study aimed at comparing the reproductive potential of this insect on the seeds of two roselle varieties Altissima and Sabdariffa, mainly grown in Burkina Faso to identify susceptible/resistant variety to the pest. The results obtained are the first complete data on life history traits of S. niger in laboratory conditions. Overall, they indicated that both seed varieties have similar susceptibility to S. niger. The main life history traits measured did not differ significantly on both varieties (P 】0.05). However, the first generation individuals from the Altissima seeds were significantly larger (P = 0.0007 and P 【0.0001 for males and females respectively) and weighed more (P 【0.0001) than those from the other roselle variety. This result suggests that individuals from the Altissima variety may have a higher seed-damaging potential than those developed in the Sabdariffa variety and this potential might increase over successive generations. The consequences of such findings are discussed with a view to improving the post-harvest storage of roselle seeds and reducing losses in West Africa.

Local Taxonomy and Diversity of Chadian Sorghum [<i>Sorghum bicolor</i>(L.) Moench] Accessions

The integration of local plant genetic resources into the breeding program is an asset for research. The objective of this study is to assess the diversity and analyze the management practices of cultivated sorghum. A questionnaire following a participatory approach was submitted to 675 producers in 45 villages. The cultivars collected were characterized using 9 qualitative descriptors. In total, 151 accessions and 191 names were inventoried. On average, 25.17 accessions per department and 3.36 accessions per village. Local taxonomy is based on many criteria expressed in different local languages. The most common method of naming is that to the word sorghum is added either the color of the grain, the precocity, or any element deemed relevant by the farmers. Significant variability in grain and panicle traits was observed within the collection, except the color of the endosperm. The rate of diversity loss is 11.52% and red grain sorghums are the most threatened with extinction. Five accessions groups are differentiated by the presence or absence of awns, the color of glumes, and amount of grain covered by glumes, grain plumpness, and form. Based on productivity, precocity, plant size, seed shape, and color, the farmers identified seven promising accessions. This potential will be preserved and developed in the sorghum varietal improvement program in Chad.