Participatory Evaluation and Promotion of Tef Production Technologies for Moisture Deficit Areas of Simada District in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Authors

  • Misganaw Ferede Adet Agricultural Research Center, P.O.Box 08, Adet, Ethiopia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9251-5906
  • Tamir Abathun Adet Agricultural Research Center, P.O.Box 08, Adet, Ethiopia
  • Yihenew Awoke Adet Agricultural Research Center, P.O.Box 08, Adet, Ethiopia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29244/jtcs.12.01.246-253

Keywords:

adoption, early maturing, farmers’ preference traits, grain yield, rank correlation

Abstract

Tef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter) is a small cereal crop resilient to adverse climatic and soil conditions and possesses desirable storage properties. It provides high-quality food and grows under marginal conditions which are not unsuitable for other cereal crops. Although tef is a major cultivated crop in the Simada district, demonstration and adoption of improved tef varieties and agronomic practices are very limited. Therefore, the study was initiated to select and promote the higher grain yielding tef varieties with agronomic practices and create awareness to farmers and end users. The activity was conducted on six farmers’ fields in the Simada district in the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. Early maturing tef released varieties, namely “Hiber-1”, “Boset”, and “Tseday” (Cr-37), and local tef varieties were used for the study in a plot area of 10m by 10m for each variety across sites. Farmers and researchers selected the “Hiber-1” tef variety due to agronomic traits and grain yield performance. “Hiber-1” was ranked 1st by farmers in both the Vertisol and Nitisol areas. It showed 31%, 28.4%, and 25.1% grain yield advantage over “Boset”, “Tseday”, and the local varieties respectively. In addition, the rank correlation of farmers’ rank and grain yield rank of the varieties showed a strong positive correlation. Therefore, the “Hiber-1” tef variety should be scaled out in the Simada district and areas with similar agro-ecologies in Amhara Region and Ethiopia.

References

Assefa, K., Cannarozzi, G., Girma, D., Kamies, R., Chanyalew, S., Plaza-Wüthrich, S., Blösch, R., Rindisbacher, A., Rafudeen, S., and Tadele, Z. (2015). Genetic diversity in tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]. Frontier Plant Science 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00177.

Bedru, B., Berhanu, S., Endeshaw, H., Matsumoto, I., Niioka, M., Shiratori, K., Teha, M., and Wole, K. (2009). “Guideline to Participatory Agricultural Research through Farmer Research Group (FRG) for Agricultural Researchers.” FRG Project, EIAR, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Chiara, M., Yosef, G.K., Dejene, K.M., Mario, E., Carlo, F., and Matteo, D.A. (2017). “Joining Smallholder Farmers’ Traditional Knowledge with Metric Traits to Select Better Varieties of Ethiopian Wheat.” Scientific Reports, Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superior, Saint Pisa, Italy.

[CSA] Central Statistics Agency. (2022). “Agricultural Sample Survey, Volume I, Report on Area and Production of Major Crops (Private Peasant Holdings, Meher Season).” Statistical Bulletin 281. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Damtie, Y., Kebede, W., and Haile, T. (2022). Participatory evaluation and selection of recently released tef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter) varieties in Awi Zone, Western Ethiopia. Advances in Environmental Studies 6, 491- 496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36959/742/248.

Dawit, T. Getnet, S. Belayneh, G., Anteneh, D., Rebeka, G., Tadesse D., Andrea, R., Dessalegn, M., Sebsebe, Z., Cherinet, A., and Eshete, A. (2024). Farmers’ participatory evaluation of bread wheat varieties through seed producer cooperatives: evidence from Ethiopia. Discover Agriculture 2, 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-024-00028-z.

[EAA] Ethiopian Agriculture Authority. (2023). “Plant Variety Release, Protection, and Seed Quality Control Directorate.” Crop Variety Register Issue Number 25. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Fortune. (2022). “Injera Exports Reach New Heights”. https://addisfortune.news/injera-exports-reach-new-heights [May 28, 2022].

Mahmoud, G., Fathy, R., Naiim, M., Ashraf, E.S., and Safwat, A. (2014). Participatory plant breeding approach for identifying the superior rainfed barley genotypes in Egypt. International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research 5, 52-61.

Marye, B. (2011). “Local Peoples’ Perception on Climate Change, its Impact, and Adaptation Measures in Simada Wereda of South Gondar.” Master of Art Thesis, College of Social Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Melak, H. (1975). Crop germplasm diversity and resources in Ethiopia In “Tef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter) Promoting the Conservation and Use of Underutilized and Neglected Crops 12” (K. Seyfu, edt.), pp 449-453. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Meseret, B. (2012). “Assessment of Drinking Water Quality and Determinants of Household Potable Water Consumption in the Simada district, Ethiopia.” Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

Misganaw, F., and Zina, D. (2020). Participatory evaluation of malt barley (Hordium disticum L.) varieties in barley-growing highland areas of Northwestern Ethiopia. Cogent Food and Agriculture 6, 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.10 80/23311932.2020.1756142.

Mohammed, H., Mesfin, H., Fetta, N., Takele, Z., Tesfahun, F., Beyene, A. and Teshome, B. (2022). Participatory variety selection of improved mid-land maize hybrids in the Gurage zone, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Crop Sciences 10, 90-105.

Molla, M., Getenet, S., Muluken, B., Amleku, T., Eshetie, A., Misganaw, F., Desalew, F., Sefinew, W., Yasin, T., Desalegn, G., Zelalem, A., and Abunu, M. (2020). Participatory variety selection and stability analysis of Durum wheat varieties (Triticum durum Desf.) in northwest Amhara. Cogent Food and Agriculture 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2020.1746229.

Sewagegn, T., Misganaw, F., Sefinew, W., Atalay, F., Atinkut F., Gedefaw, M., Yihenew, W. and Zigale, D. (2023). Participatory variety selection and pre-scaling up of farmers’ preferred improved tef varieties in Bure Zuria district of West Gojam, Ethiopia. Blue Nile Journal of Agricultural Research 3, 65-78.

Seyfu, K. (1997). “Tef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter) Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops 12”. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy.

Shumet, C., and Teklemariam, A. (2023). Participatory variety selection and promotion of improved tef varieties in Vertisol areas of North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. Blue Nile Journal of Agricultural Research 4, 11-23.

Zerihun, J., Amsalu, A., and Grando, S. (2012). Participatory barley variety selection and farmers’ selection criteria in the Bale Highlands of southeastern Ethiopia. Science, Technology and Arts Research 1, 01-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/star.v1i2.98778.

Downloads

Published

2025-03-14

How to Cite

Ferede, M., Abathun, T., & Awoke, Y. (2025). Participatory Evaluation and Promotion of Tef Production Technologies for Moisture Deficit Areas of Simada District in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Tropical Crop Science, 12(01), 246–253. https://doi.org/10.29244/jtcs.12.01.246-253