Abstract
Tef is the most important and wider adaptable cereal crop in Ethiopia. The most limiting tef productions are low yielding cultivars, biotic such as pest and diseases and abiotic such as drought, fertility depletion and inappropriate agronomic practice and difficulty nature of tef for mechanization. The objective of the study was to evaluate the adaptability of early maturing tef varieties. Tef varieties were evaluated for their earliness and adaptability at three locations and over two years. The trial included 8 varieties and one local check with the design of RCBD in three replications. The analysis of variance showed that there was significant difference (P<-0.001) between genotypes and locations for the days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, panicle length, grain yield and (P<-0.05) for biomass yield. However, it does not provide evidence for interaction between the varieties and locations on all traits except for days to maturity. Simada was early maturing and well performing, following Boset. Therefore, cultivation of both varieties enhances the production of tef in the study areas and similar agro-ecologies. Allocation of varieties to their niche might increase the productivity of tef. In general, evaluation tef varieties in the right place and development of target variety for earliness and yield performance increase production in the region as well as the nation. Further work needed breeding to develop drought tolerant and higher yielding.
Highlights
Tef is the most important and wider adaptable cereal crop in Ethiopia
Simada was early maturing and well performing, following Boset. Cultivation of both varieties enhances the production of tef in the study areas and similar agro-ecologies
The presence of the statistically significance difference leads for the selection tef variety having an advantage of early maturing and higher yielding in the moisture limiting areas of the region
Summary
Tef is the most important and wider adaptable cereal crop in Ethiopia. Tef is grown by more than 6.8 million households (CAS, 2018) with growing season rainfall of 450-550 mm (Ketema, 1993). It grows in various agro climatic condition from sea level to 3000meter above sea level and different types of edaphic factors from light sandy to heavy clay soil in variable fertility(Kebebew,2003). Tef has an advantage over the other cereal by generating and fulfilling nutritional needs (Assefa et al, 2015) and it is healthy food due to the grain is free of gluten (SpaenijDekking et al, 2005). The research institutes in Ethiopian needed to increase the productivity of tef per unit area
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