Kersting's groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal & Baudet) is a valuable source of essential nutrients, including proteins, vitamins, dietary fiber, and minerals. Despite its high nutritional value, the crop suffers from low yields and decreasing utilization, partly due to a lack of improved varieties and insufficient research attention. At the Farako-Bâ Research Center, twenty-six cultivars collected from western Burkina Faso were evaluated to assess genetic diversity and identify high performing varieties in collaboration with local farmers. The experiment used an a randomized complete block design, also with three replications under rainfed conditions in 2023, with contributions from thirty farmers in the selection process and under rainfed conditions in 2023. Genetic variability was observed among the cultivars, particularly in traits such as grain yield, hundred-seed weight, plant height, and leaf number. A significant moderate phenotypic correlation was found between plant height and the number of leaves (0.48), as well as between plant height and grain yield (0.33). Cluster analysis grouped the cultivars into four categories: Cluster I (Ler27), Cluster II (Ler21, Hou28), Cluster III (Hou29, Hou30, Ken1, Ken10, Ken11, Ken12, Ken13, Ken14, Ken17, Ken9, Ler23, Ler24, Ler25), and Cluster IV (Ken16, Ken18, Ken2, Ken3, Ken4, Ken5, Ken7, Ken8, Ler19, Ler22). Among the cultivars selected by farmers, grain yield and seed size were the top priorities. The cultivars Ler21, Hou28, Ken10, Ken11, Ken13, Ken12, Ler23, Ler24, Ken14, and Hou30 were the most preferred by both farmers and researchers. Notably, Ler21 and Hou28, with their large black seeds, as well as Ken11 and Ken12, which have large white seeds, represent promising candidates for breeding programs and direct dissemination to farmers. Promoting these Kersting's groundnuts could contribute to the crop's adoption and the preservation of the species.

Kersting's groundnut , Yield performance, Farmers' preference, Participatory selection, Burkina Faso