Plant breeders’ knowledge of precise traits preferred by variety users would accelerate varietal turnover and widen adoption of newly developed maize varieties in Ghana. The objective of this research was to provide empirical evidence of trait preferences of farmers and other actors in the maize value chain in northern Ghana, based on which research strategies for maize improvement could be formulated. Participatory rural appraisal was conducted in 2016 to determine key traits preferred by maize value chain actors across the three regions in northern Ghana. A total of 279 maize value chain actors were interviewed. Different scoring and ranking techniques were used to assess the maize traits preferred by the different actors. Participatory variety selection trials were also conducted in the Tolon, West Gonja, Binduri, and Sissala East districts in northern Ghana from 2014 to 2016. The mother-baby trial approach was used to evaluate eight hybrids with 3000 farmers. Data on yield and agronomic performance of the hybrids and farmer’s selection criteria were collected. Data analyses were performed using GenStat Edition 16 and SPSS Edition 20 statistical packages. The participatory rural appraisal method identified farmers, input dealers, traders, and processors as the primary maize value chain actors in the study areas. Trait preferences of the different actors overlapped and revolved around grain quality including nutritional value, and stress tolerance and grain yield. Results of the participatory variety selection study revealed that across districts, farmers preferred high-yielding varieties with multiple cobs per plant, white grain endosperm color, and bigger and fully filled cobs. For the first time, our holistic assessment of the trait preferences of key actors of the maize value chain in northern Ghana revealed a comprehensive list of traits, which could be used by breeders to develop varieties that may be preferred by all value chain actors in northern Ghana.

植物育种者对品种使用者偏好的精确性状的了解将加速品种周转并扩大加纳新开发的玉米品种的采用。本研究的目的是为加纳北部玉米价值链中农民和其他参与者的性状偏好提供经验证据，据此制定玉米改良研究策略。2016 年进行了参与式农村评估，以确定加纳北部三个地区的玉米价值链参与者偏好的关键性状。共采访了 279 名玉米价值链参与者。使用不同的评分和排名技术来评估不同参与者偏好的玉米性状。在 Tolon、West Gonja、Binduri、2014 年至 2016 年在加纳北部的 Sissala East 区和 Sissala East 区。母婴试验方法用于评估 3000 名农民的 8 个杂交种。收集了关于杂交种的产量和农艺性能以及农民选择标准的数据。使用 GenStat Edition 16 和 SPSS Edition 20 统计软件包进行数据分析。参与式农村评估方法将农民、投入品经销商、贸易商和加工商确定为研究区域的主要玉米价值链参与者。不同行为者的性状偏好重叠并围绕粮食质量，包括营养价值、抗逆性和粮食产量。参与式选种研究的结果表明，不同地区的农民更喜欢单株多穗、白色籽粒胚乳颜色、还有更大更饱满的玉米棒。我们首次对加纳北部玉米价值链关键参与者的性状偏好进行了整体评估，揭示了一份综合性状列表，育种者可以使用这些性状来开发可能受到北部所有价值链参与者青睐的品种加纳。