Papers by Léonard Ahoton
The hexaploid 2(Gossypium hirsutum L. x G. australe F. Muell.) was backcrossed to G. hirsutum to ... more The hexaploid 2(Gossypium hirsutum L. x G. australe F. Muell.) was backcrossed to G. hirsutum to produce the pentaploid G. hirsutum x G. australe and seven alien monosomic addition lines of Gossypium australe on G. hirsutum. The different hybrids produced were characterized morphologically, cytogenetically and using genomic in situ hybridization and eighty-six Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. The analysis of their progenies allowed to quantify the frequency of genetic material exchanges between the supernumerary alien chromosome and G. hirsutum. The seven monosomic addition lines obtained constitute valuable genetic stocks to carry out fundamental and applied investigations. Experimental procedure Mis en forme : Français (France) Commentaire [Rn81]: Provide addresses in English Mis en forme : Français (France) Code de champ modifié Mis en forme : Français (France) Mis en forme : Français (France)
Tropicultura, 2003
Cette rubrique présente les thèses de doctorat concernant le développement rural défendues en Bel... more Cette rubrique présente les thèses de doctorat concernant le développement rural défendues en Belgique au cour des derniers mois. This heading presents PhD thesis defended recently in Belgium concerning topics linked to sustainable rural development. Deze rubriek stelt de doctoraatsthesissen voor die betrekking hebben tot plattelandsontwikkeling en die in de loop van de laatste maanden in België verdedigd werden. Este título presenta las tesis de doctorado defendidas en Bélgica durante los meses pasados referentes a asuntos ligados al desarrollo rural sostenible.
Journal für Kulturpflanzen, 2012
Potatoes produce more calories per area than any other agricultural crop. The tubers are rich in ... more Potatoes produce more calories per area than any other agricultural crop. The tubers are rich in substances valuable for human nutrition. Furthermore, farmers can sell potatoes on the market thus providing a stable income for their family. Benin is one of the poorest countries in the world. One option to minimize hunger and poverty is to increase potato production. Potatoes are grown in the regions of Alibori and Atakora in the north of Benin covering a total area of 15 to 20 ha.
Crop Science, Nov 1, 2003
traploid combinations either the A or the D chromosomes have no autosyndetic partners and theoret... more traploid combinations either the A or the D chromosomes have no autosyndetic partners and theoretically Genetic barriers often prevent exploiting diploid cotton germplasm should pair with the chromosomes of the wild Australian for the improvement of tetraploid cotton. The objective of this study was to investigate mating schemes to achieve introgression of Gossyp-species G. sturtianum and G. australe (Mergeai et al., ium sturtianum J.H. Willis and G. australe F. Muell diploid cottons 1998). However, the successful use of AADC or DDAC into tetraploid G. hirsutum L. Gossypium hirsutum ϫ G. sturtianum synthetic tetraploids requires a large effort to produce and G. hirsutum ϫ G. australe hexaploids were backcrossed to G. fertile progeny and to eliminate the undesirable genetic hirsutum to produce BC 1 pentaploids and BC 2 and BC 1 S 1 euploid and material contributed by the diploid donor and bridge aneuploid plants. The use of G. hirsutum ϫ G. australe pentaploids species (Mergeai et al., 1997; Vroh bi et al., 1999). Alas male parent in backcrosses with G. hirsutum allowed the production though the frequency of homeologous recombination of an important progeny of BC 2 self fertile plants that were euploid between the Australian chromosomes and the A or D or carried one chromosome of G. australe in addition to the 52 chromosomes may be lower in bispecific derivatives chromosomes of G. hirsutum. The only two BC 2 fertile plants issued than in trispecific derivatives, the bispecific pathway from G. hirsutum ϫ G. sturtianum hybrids were monosomic addition materials. Both of them were obtained with the pentaploid as female theoretically offers the possibility of generating more parent in the backcross to cv. Stam F. These results confirm that progeny in the same amount of time and, thus, to capture cotton male gametes are more limited than female gametes in the more homeologous recombination events. Moreover, in number of supernumerary chromosomes they can carry. This provides case of direct exploitation of bispecific hybrids through a means of developing alien monosomic addition lines in the G. backcrossing the hexaploids to G. hirsutum, recombihirsutum background from all the diploid species of Gossypium whose nant chromosomes are far more likely to be incorpochromosomes do not carry genes preventing their individual male rated into fertile plants. Because of strong hybridization transfer. The analysis of the monosomic addition plants produced barriers in the first backcross generation (Dilday, 1986; from the G. hirsutum ϫ G. australe hexaploid with simple sequence Muramato, 1969; Altman et al., 1987), the direct exploirepeat (SSR) markers allowed us to distinguish seven lines carrying tation of G. hirsutum ϫ G. sturtianum hexaploids is different single chromosomes of G. australe. These lines constitute valuable materials with which to carry out fundamental and applied likely to demand more effort than the use of G. hirsugenetic investigations.
African Journal of Microbiology Research, Jun 18, 2014
The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanol, ethyl ac... more The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanol, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of two different cashew tree parts (leaf and bark). The susceptibility of strains to the different extracts was evaluated in vitro by disc diffusion method on ten reference strains and nine foods strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were determined respectively by macro-dilution method and seeding on solid medium. Among the four types of extracts, only the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the two organs inhibited the growth of both bacteria and yeast. The MIC varies respectively between 0.039 and 0.625 mg/ml for reference strains and from 0.078 to 2.5 mg/ml for food isolated strains. Concerning MBC, it varies from 0.313 to 20 mg/ml for food isolated strains and from 0.078 to 20 mg/ml for reference strains. The ethanol and acetyl acetate extracts of the two cashew organs displays both a bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on tested microorganisms. Our results suggest that extracts from cashew leaves may provide novel precursors for antimicrobial drug development research.
International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, May 4, 2012
Jatropha curcas est un arbuste à usages multiples très connu des populations africaines. Il est c... more Jatropha curcas est un arbuste à usages multiples très connu des populations africaines. Il est cultivé comme une plante médicinale dans plusieurs pays tropicaux et subtropicaux. Ses graines contiennent de l'huile qui peut être transformée en biocarburant. Les caractéristiques agromorphologiques de huit accessions nouvellement introduites au Bénin et un écotype local ont été étudiées à partir de douze caractères qualitatifs et quantitatifs. Une analyse de la variance a été réalisée en vue de ressortir les différences entre accessions. Les résultats obtenus montrent que la provenance Equateur (Salinas) a la hauteur la plus élevée, le diamètre au collet le plus grand et les feuilles les plus développées. Par contre, la provenance Sénégal a le nombre de ramifications le plus élevé, les feuilles les plus réduites et la production en fruits la plus importante, compte tenu du fait que les ramifications fructifient au fur et à mesure de leur apparition. Il existe une différence très hautement significative (seuil 0,1%) en ce qui concerne le diamètre au collet, la largeur et la longueur des feuilles. Les caractères agromorphologiques évalués ont permis d'identifier parmi les provenances cultivées, les écotypes pouvant rentrer dans un programme d'amélioration et de sélection variétale en vue de mettre à la disposition des producteurs de nouveaux cultivars plus performants et plus précoces.
Journal of Plant breeding and Crop Science, May 31, 2017
Jatropha curcas is a plant with several attributes, multiples uses and considerable potentials. T... more Jatropha curcas is a plant with several attributes, multiples uses and considerable potentials. To mitigate the effects of climatic change, it is necessary to alleviate fossil power energy and increase biofuel energy. Plant-based fuels are among the best renewable sources, and their use can lead to a better balance of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The aim of this work was to study the progeny of intraspecific cross of J. curcas (Equator × Senegal (Dialocoto)) in order to improve the productivity of the cultivated species through intra specific hybridization. The results showed that hybrids obtained from the cross between Equator ecotypes and Senegal ecotype (Dialocoto) showed the best production traits. For the width and length of the leaves, Equator ecotypes and hybrids had almost the same size (19.79 and 17.73 cm for Equator ecotypes and 19.0 and 17.23 cm for hybrids). The physical fruit properties of the hybrid showed dominance in comparison with the best parent due to heterosis effect. The hybrids showed a positive heterosis in fruit length, with significant H (30.17%) and Hb (3.47%) values. For the qualitative data, hybrids had the same leaf and petiole color as the Senegal ecotype, but the same leaf size with the Equator ecotype. The introduction of genetic variability can be performed by intraspecific cross.
Journal of experimental agriculture international, Jan 10, 2017
African Journal of Agricultural Research, Nov 19, 2011
Sesamum radiatum and Justicia tenella are two traditional leafy vegetables highly consumed in Ben... more Sesamum radiatum and Justicia tenella are two traditional leafy vegetables highly consumed in Benin. In spite of their importance in food security, nutrition, and income generation, they still remain very little known to the scientific communities. In order to document their diversity and the various traditional cultural practices associated with their production and identity as well as their domestication levels across zones, a survey was conducted in 10 villages randomly selected from different agroecological and ethnic zones of both northern and central Benin. Data were collected in the different sites through application of Participatory Research Appraisal tools and techniques and analysed using both simple descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, etc.) and multivariate analysis (ANOVA, cluster analysis). The study revealed the existence of clear intraspecific diversity within J. tenella contrarily to S. radiatum for which no apparent diversity was noted. In most of the households surveyed, J. tenella and S. radiatum were found respectively at steps 3 and 4 in the domestication process. The production of these vegetable species is still traditional and biologic (no fertilisers, no pesticides). The cultural practices used are not the same for the two species and vary between households and between ethnic groups. The multivariate analyses (Cluster analysis, PCA) conducted based on the various traditional farming practices to examine the relationship between farmers revealed respectively 4 and 5 categories of producers of J. tenella and S. radiatum corresponding to the same numbers of applied traditional technological packages. Further domestication trials were recommended to develop the best technical packages required to master mass production of the species in the future for the benefit of both producers and consumers. Agromorphological and genetic characterisation were also recommended in order to establish the scientific basis for their varietal improvement.
South African Journal of Botany
Vitex doniana is an important but endangered multipurpose wild fruit tree species well known in S... more Vitex doniana is an important but endangered multipurpose wild fruit tree species well known in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Benin. The present study assessed its current conservation status and morphological diversity within its natural populations in Benin. The study was conducted in 28 villages well distributed in 5 districts in southern Benin. The in-situ conservation status was assessed through direct field observations and transect walks. A total of 125 randomly selected trees were characterized using 13 quantitative morphological descriptors. Our results showed high morphological variability among trees based on the traits such as trunk circumference, crown attributes and diameter of leaf petiole. Positively significant correlations were found between most dendrometric parameters and leaf and fruit-related traits. The cluster analysis classified natural populations into three phenotypic groups, with the Cluster 2 encompassing the best accessions showing the greatest height, trunk diameter and the largest crown but with leaves moderate in size. However, the transect analysis performed revealed highly fragmented natural populations due to intense human activities. Therefore, awareness needs to be raised to protect this species and there is also an urgent need to develop domestication, breeding schemes and in-situ conservation programs dedicated to this species.
Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Euphorbia sepium is a galactogenic plant used by livestock farmers in Benin to improve milk produ... more Euphorbia sepium is a galactogenic plant used by livestock farmers in Benin to improve milk production in cows. Despite its proven medicinal and ethnobotanical importance, little is known about its morphological diversity. To assess the morphological diversity of E. sepium in the Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean zones of Benin, fifteen traits including eight quantitative and seven qualitative were studied on 54 individuals of this species. A Principal Component Analysis, a Hierarchical Ascending Classification, an analysis of variance of data and a Pearson linear correlation were performed to describe the intraspecific and inter-region diversity. The results exhibited significant variability in the morphological traits. Also, most of the traits showed a coefficient of variations higher than 30 %, revealing a high level of morphological diversity within the species. Three clusters with distinct phenotypic attributes were identified regardless the climatic zones considered. The major discriminating morphological traits include total plant height, crown height, collar diameter, number of stems, leaf width and length, and petiole length. Individuals in cluster 3 had the highest values of total height (6.94 ± 0.49 m), crown height (5.15 ± 1.42 m), collar diameter (24.45 ± 19.46 cm) and number of stems while those in cluster 1 showed the highest values for leaf length (6.88 ± 0.36 cm), leaf width (3.11 ± 0.46 cm) and petiole length (0.61 ± 0.12 cm). The study also revealed significant and positive correlation between plant height and crown height (r = 0.86; p < 0.001), plant height and collar diameter (r = 0.57; p < 0.001), plant height and number of stems (r = 0.49; p < 0.001). Also, between leaf length and width, leaf width and petiole length, we found a significant and positive correlation. This study provided useful information on the phenotypic variability of E. sepium and can be base for future conservation, domestication, and breeding programs.
South African Journal of Botany, 2022
Although Bobgunnia madagascariensis is an important tree species known in traditional medicinal w... more Although Bobgunnia madagascariensis is an important tree species known in traditional medicinal with a well-recognized galactogenic properties, it remains poorly documented. In Benin, little information is available on this species which is highly threatened in its natural habitat. In this study, the morphological variability of 51 trees of B. madagascariensis from Sudanian (28 trees) and Sudano-Guinean zones (23 trees) of Benin was evaluated using 20 descriptors, including 7 qualitative and 13 quantitative traits. A hierarchical ascending classification followed by principal component analysis, analysis of variance and quantitative traits correlation analysis were used to describe the intraspecific diversity of B. madagascariensis in the study areas. Analysis of morphometric data revealed the existence of three morphological groups within the species with a distinct morphological organization among the trees sampled. The discriminating morphological descriptors included the total height of the tree, the diameter at 1.30m, the bole height, the leaf length, the number of leaflets of the leaf, the fruit weight, the fruit length and width, as well as the seed length and weight. Individuals in group 3 had the highest values for nine of the 10 most discriminating traits. A significant and positive correlation was found between trees' total height and seed length, as well as between fruit traits (fruit weight, fruit length) and seed traits (seed weight, seed length). In addition, the diameter at 1.3 m was positively correlated with the leaf width. The results also revealed a significant difference between the trees observed in the Sudanian zone and those in the Sudano-Guinean zone with the number of leaflets, the petiole length, the fruits width, the seeds weight and length as discriminating traits. This study provided preliminary data on the morphological variability of B. madagascariensis and will serve as basis for a selection, conservation and domestication program. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of SAAB.
Annales de l’Université de Parakou - Série Sciences Naturelles et Agronomie
Les conséquences du changement climatique se manifestent par la dégradation des revenus des agric... more Les conséquences du changement climatique se manifestent par la dégradation des revenus des agriculteurs et des petits exploitants, principalement en raison de la faible résistance des semences locales aux effets néfastes tels que la salinisation, les températures élevées et l'humidité excessive. Le Bénin, tout comme d'autres pays dans le monde, est confronté à ces défis. La présente recherche vise l’analyse économique et le consentement à payer en vue d’une utilisation des lignées mutantes de A. cruentus (L) créées et sélectionnées pour leur tolérance. Plus spécifiquement, il s’agit de comparer la rentabilité financière entre les lignées mutantes sélectionnées et le cultivar local, d’analyser les déterminants de l’adoption des lignées mutantes sélectionnées et d’analyser le consentement à payer (CAP). Ce travail a permis de déterminer le CAP moyen des nouvelles variétés sélectionnées. La comparaison des moyennes suivant la méthode des coûts de revient et le modèle de Heckma...
International Journal of Plant & Soil Science
Aims: The present study was carried out to access the salt tolerance level of nine amaranth (Amar... more Aims: The present study was carried out to access the salt tolerance level of nine amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) mutant lines selected from Benin cultivar ‘Locale’ at young plants stage in comparison with the cultivar ‘Locale’ used as control. Study Design: The experiment was laid out as a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out in a screening house at University of Abomey-Calavi, City of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin from May to June, 2020. Methodology: Three-weeks old plants of the nine stable mutant lines and the control cultivar ‘Locale’ were planted in pots containing a mixture of potting soil and sand. NaCl concentrations: 0; 100; 150 and 200 mM were given by irrigation once in two days Plant growth parameters were evaluated after two weeks. Results: Salt effect caused a reduction of young plant growth whatever the growth parameter considered with a significant disparity (p=.001) among the genotypes....
Revista Brasileira de Entomologia
The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797), has become one of the most devastat... more The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797), has become one of the most devastating pests in the world with diverse host range. To develop effective integrated management strategies against S. frugiperda, it is crucial to know its alternative host plants. In this study, we provide the first information on the occurrence of S. frugiperda in onion crops in Africa. Monitoring was carried out during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons in onion monoculture and in intercropping with groundnut to detect the presence and assess the incidence of S. frugiperda. The highest average incidence (2.88%) and larval density (0.79 per 9 m 2) were observed in onion monoculture. The classification of the onion leaf damage rating scale indicated low S. frugiperda infestation. This suggests that future studies will need to assess this aspect which we consider to be a survival strategy to maintain its population throughout the year, which contributes to sustain the insect in the study area during times when its preferred hosts are not present. Furthermore, genetic studies are needed to provide a better explanation of the ecology of this pest and to find out which of the two existing strain infests onions or whether it is an unknown hybrid population of S. frugiperda.
Cahiers Agricultures, 2021
Le maraîchage est actuellement un secteur où certaines pratiques d’agriculture moderne comme la c... more Le maraîchage est actuellement un secteur où certaines pratiques d’agriculture moderne comme la culture pure et l’utilisation des produits de synthèse se développent, mais sont de plus en plus questionnées. L’évaluation de la durabilité de ces pratiques n’a pas encore fait l’objet d’études dans les régions montagneuses du Sud-Kivu, à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo. Pour y remédier, la durabilité de 368 unités de production maraîchère choisies de manière aléatoire et stratifiée a été évaluée grâce à l’outil « Indicateur de la durabilité de la production maraîchère » (IPDM). Les résultats obtenus font ressortir trois types d’exploitations dont 44 % sont de grande taille, 52 % de taille moyenne et 5 % de petite taille. Il a été constaté que, sur un maximum de 100 points possibles, les exploitations de petite taille obtiennent des scores de durabilité de 60 %, 53 % et 57 % sur les trois dimensions respectives de la durabilité : agroécologique, socio-territoriale et économi...
Open Journal of Soil Science, 2021
This study aims to determine the optimal N, P, K, Mg and Zn rates for groundnut production on Fer... more This study aims to determine the optimal N, P, K, Mg and Zn rates for groundnut production on Ferric and Plintic Luvisol in the Sudano-Guinean and Sudanian zones of Benin Republic. Two years (2018 and 2019) experiment was carried out in the municipality of Ouessè in the Sudano-Guinean zone and Bembèrèkè in the Sudanian zone. The tested nutrient doses were N (0, 20 and 40 kg•ha −1), P (0, 25 and 50 kg•ha −1), K (0, 20 and 40 kg•ha −1), Mg (0, 15 and 30 kg•ha −1) and Zn (0, 4 and 8 kg•ha −1). The Box and Behnken rotating design is used to define the N, P, K, Mg and Zn rate combinations leading to 46 combinations. A completely randomized bloc design was setting up considering farmers as replication. In total, four farmers' fields were selected. A one-way analysis of variance is carried out on yield data, using the linear mixed-effect model. Response surface analyses were used to determine the optimal doses for each N, P, K, Mg and Zn. Nodule production (6.5 times higher than the control), number of gynophores (2.8 times higher than the control) and root length (19.2 ± 0.2 cm) of groundnut plants were significantly (p = 0.0001) improved with nutrient application. The response surface analysis shows that treatments N-P-K-Mg-Zn of 16.
Rapport de fin de formation en Licence Professionnelle en Amenagement et Protection de l’Environn... more Rapport de fin de formation en Licence Professionnelle en Amenagement et Protection de l’Environnement
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Papers by Léonard Ahoton