Agro-morphological and structural diversity of rice germplasm revealed by SSR markers in Benin Republic.

Background: In developing countries, rice is a staple food and cash crop for the people. In Benin Republic, paddy rice production has increased over time. Accordingly, local varieties were replaced by improved varieties, leading unfortunatley to a loss of the diversity of Beninese rice germplasm.

Impact of Seed Origin and Genetic Drift of Improved Rice Variety IR841 in Benin.

Background: Rice production is important for food security in Benin, with a national production largely dominated by the cultivation of the aromatic ecotype IR841, by far the most appreciated by Beninese consumers. However, to maintain agronomical qualities of a given cultivar, the origin and quality of seeds are mandatory and at the heart of the maintenance of yield and of market requests. Following this idea, the objective of the current study was thus to investigate the genetic purity of IR841 varieties collected from rice producers across 22 villages in Benin in relation to their agronomical performances.