Trait-based description of the agronomic and usage potential of a range of plantain varieties from Cameroon

Summary A highly diverse range of plantain varieties are cropped in West and Central Africa, and it is essential to enhance knowledge on this diversity to support farmers in their varietal choices. This study aims at proposing a new way to describe a panel of plantain varieties, based on their agronomic and usage potential. The agronomic trait values of nine plantain varieties, including five traditional varieties (Batard, Big Ebanga, Essong, French Clair and Mbouroukou n°3) representative of the diversity of the plantain group, and four plantain-like hybrids (CRBP39, D248, D535 and FHIA21) were recorded at flowering and harvest. The findings revealed very marked inter-varietal variations, in line with the features of plantain morphotaxonomic subgroups, as well as very high intra-varietal variations, especially for the Essong variety. This extent of intra-varietal variation suggests that traditional plantain multiplication methods could favour the emergence of mutations in plantain varieties and hence of high intra-varietal variability. Finally, the monitored agronomic traits were integrated as agronomic and usage potential indicators per variety and morphotaxonomic subgroup, which could support decision-making on plantain varieties.