Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2024). 11(6): 94-116 94 International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences ISSN: 2348-8069 www.ijarbs.com (A Peer Reviewed, Referred, Indexed and Open Access Journal) DOI: 10.22192/ijarbs Coden: IJARQG (USA) Volume 11, Issue 6-2024 Research Article Genetic variability of local maize (Zea mays L.) varieties screened under soil Phosphorus deficiency conditions in Benin Z. Bonou-gbo 1;2 *, M.OE. Faton 3 , R. Bocco 4 , G. Djedatin 2 , M. Sow 5 , J. R. Sangare 6 , J. Adomako 7 and A. Dansi 1 1 Laboratory of biotechnology, genetic resources and plant and animal Breeding (BIORAVE), University of Abomey-Calavi, 071 PO Box 28 Cotonou, Benin. 2 Laboratory of molecular biology and bioinformatics applied to genomic (BIOGENOM), PO Box 14 Dassa, ENSBBA/UNSTIM (Benin) 3 Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Study of Environmental Stresses: Research Unit in Phytopathology and Plant Protection/ UAC/ FAST/ BENIN 4 Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), UC Davis, Cooperative Extension, 2156, Sierra Way, Ste C, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 5 Sow AgriTech Ltd, Abdulahi Fodio Road, Opposite Government Technical College, Runji Sambo, PMB 2999, Sokoto Nigeria 6 Centre Régional de Recherche Agronomique (CRRA) de Sikasso, Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER), Sikasso, Mali 7 CSIR-Crops Research Institute, PO Box 3785, Kumassi-Ghana *Corresponding Author: Email: zaki.bonougbo@gmail.com , Tel: (229) 96 09 53 49; ORCID number: 0000-0002-1971-0040 Abstract Maize (Zea Mays L.) is one of the world’s most important food crops and a model system for studying genetics, evolution, and domestication. The grain yield depends on the management of nutrients at the production site. The development of plant molecular genetics allowed the identification and selection of Mendelian components combining simple and complex agronomic traits. Seventeen quantitative agro-morphological traits and 12 Simple Sequence Repeat markers flanking quantitative trait loci controlling six agronomic characteristics were used to screen 134 genotypes derived from maize produced in Benin agro-ecological zones. Descriptive analysis and trait variabilities were estimated, including broad-sense heritability, genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijarbs.2024.11.06.010