Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge for Selection and Classification of Aerial Yam(Dioscorea Bulbifera (L.)) Accessions in South and Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Participatory evaluation on forty seven accessions of the aerial yam (Dioscorea bulbifera) was carried out in woldiya peasant association, which is a major D. bulbifera growing area of Jimma zone and near to Jimma Agricultural Research Center. The objectives of the study were to select aerial yam accessions based on key morphological traits and classification of D. bulbifera accessions based on maturity and farmers’ utilization options. Twenty households from the PA were selected based on consultation with key informants knowledgeable about the crop to determine yam selection, classification systems, and on different management practices through the entire growing period of aerial yam during the 2007/2008 growing season. The results of the evaluation indicated that from all accessions of D. bulbifera, 14 (29.78%), 22(46.8%) and 11(23.4%) of accessions are early, medium and late maturing respectively. Besides this, 62.5%, 25.0% and 12.5% of the farmers selected the late, medium and early maturing D. bulbifera accessions based on total yield (bulbils and tuber). Even if 62.5% of participated farmers preferred late maturing aerial yam accessions by total yield, most of the farmers selected the early and medium types due to the ease of harvesting and market value. Based on organoleptic test of tuber and bulbils, 60 and 85% of the farmers preferred late maturing accessions. On the bases of overall criteria, the late maturing accessions had the first ranks by farmers’ evaluation.