Abstract
Crop diversification is one of the levers that could help stabilize or even improve yields in the Sudano-Sahelian regions, which are constrained by semi-arid climatic conditions and very low soil fertility. It can also help mitigate market risks. This diversification can be implemented through the practice of associations and rotations, as well as by enriching them with new crop species. During three years of experimentation, we compared seven species, of which four legumes including mungbean, grown in association with sorghum or in pure stand. Mungbean appeared to be a species very well adapted to the semi-arid conditions of Burkina Faso. Of the seven species tested, it produced the most grain on average, between 0.8 and 1.8 t ha −1 in pure cultivation and between 0.35 and 0.9 t ha −1 in association with sorghum. Our results also confirm the yield advantage of growing sorghum in association with legumes over pure cultivation. Twenty-five producers in north-central Burkina Faso tested mungbean in their plots and confirmed its productivity and hardiness. They obtained an average yield of 0.7 t ha −1 . However, the lack of a market compared to cowpea remains a barrier to its dissemination.