In Burkina Faso, phenotypic diversity for amaranth (Amaranthus ssp) has not been sufficiently described germplasm conservation, and cultivar development or improvement. This study evaluated 80 amaranth accessions collected from three climatic zones in Burkina Faso for 12 quantitative traits related to plant growth and agronomic producitivity. Accessions were planted in a Fischer block design with three replications at the IDR experimental site in Gampela during the 2019 growing season. Significant morphological variability was observed among accessions. The most discriminating traits include stem diameter (CV =25.5%), number of primary branches bearing an inflorescence (CV= 30%) and fresh leaf weight (CV = 36.7%). Accessions collected from the Sahelian zone had greater agronomic performance at the IDR for both leaf and seed production, while lower performance was observed for accessions representing the Sudanian zone. Plant size, number of branches and leaf width and length were strongly associated variables and their simultaneous selection would lead to increased leaf yield of amaranths in Burkina Faso. These data will be useful for breeding programs to aid parental selection and to increase genetic diversity in breeding populations.

Keywords: Amaranthus ssp, genetic diversity, agronomy, Burkina Faso.