Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is cultivated as a cash crop by small-scale farmers in Niger. This study assessed eight lettuce morphotypes from the Zinder region in Niger Republic for their agronomic performance traits. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. Significant differences were observed between the morphotypes for various agro-morphological traits. Principal component analysis of the eleven measured traits indicated that the first two components accounted for 80.18% of the total variation. Furthermore, the study identified that four out of the eleven traits studied were the most significant in distinguishing among the eight morphotypes.

Key word: Agronomic performance, lettuce, Lactuca sativa L., multivariate analysis, Niger Republic.