Agro-morphological Characterization of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Collected in the Humid Forest and Guinea Savannah Agro-ecological Zones of Cameroon

Background: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important crop in Cameroon where leaves and tubers are eaten. However, its genetic variability remains unexplored in Cameroon. Local varieties are precious genetic resources because of their diversity. Mastery of this diversity is an important basis for crop improvement through plant breeding programs. Methods: Local cassava accessions (89) were collected mainly in four regions belonging to the Humid Forest and Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zones. These accessions have been planted with the objective to characterize them, based on qualitative and quantitative agro-morphological traits. The experiment was carried out in experimental station of IRAD Nkolbisson, Cameroon. Results: Significant differences (p20%). The remaining 7 traits exhibit low variations. Root yields of 10 to 13 t/ha was observed with some of the accessions. The Principal Component Analysis for quantitative traits and Multiple Correspondence Analysis for qualitative traits revealed high dispersion of the accessions. On the cluster analysis for qualitative traits the accessions were classified in three groups. The dendrogram with the quantitative traits produced three main cluster groups of the cassava accessions evaluated. Conclusion: This work showed the variation in agronomic traits existing among cassava accessions in the forest and savannah agro-ecological zones of Cameroon that could be exploited to enhance cassava breeding programs