Adaptation Trials of Three Varieties of Wheat (Triticum aestivum) in the Edaphoclimatic Conditions of Lwiro, South Kivu, Eastern DRC

Abstract

The DRC’s production is not enough to cover the country's needs and it has to import large quantities. Abnormal situation when it is known that the DRC, taking into account its resources in irrigation water and arable land, should be the granaries of cereal production for Africa. The problem lies, among other things, in the lack of infrastructure, agricultural inputs, and in particular high-yielding seeds. This work had the objective of evaluating three new wheat varieties in order to study their agronomic performance under the edapho-climatic conditions of Lwiro. To achieve this, a test was installed at the Center for Research in Natural Sciences, in the experimental field of the Agricultural Entomology Laboratory. It was carried out in the period from March to July of the year 2022. The sketch is a completely randomized design with three repetitions having a total of 12 treatments. The recovery rate is considered favorable because it exceeds 90%; all the varieties have a medium cycle since it oscillates around 120 to 150 days. About the growth and yield parameters, the results revealed differences between varieties under study. Except for the number of tillers for which the analysis of variance did not show any significant differences, for the height of the plants (the averages of which vary between 53-77 cm) and the number of leaves per plant (the averages vary between 12 and 25); the KIMA variety was better compared to MBALALIZI and LUBERO. For the number of grains per ear, the weight of 1,000 grains as well as the yield, the KIMA variety still proved to be the most adapted to the environment with productions of more than 3 T/ha (3.22 T/ha) of the homogeneous group A, followed by MBALALIZI (2.51 T/ha) and finally by LUBERO (2.30 T/ha) constituting the homogeneous group B. Thus, the KIMA variety would seem to be indicated for the promotion of wheat in the region.