Abstract
Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) is among the most important cereals in Ethiopia in terms of both acreage and production. However, its productivity is relatively low as compared to other cereals mainly due to drought and climate variability coupled with lack of drought tolerant varieties. A field experiment was conducted with the objectives of assessing the effects of genotypes and sowing dates on the growth and yield performances of tef. The experiment consisted of 36 entire factorial combinations of three sowing dates, and 12 tef genotypes including two standards checks with three replications laid out in split plot design of sowing dates as the main plots and genotypes as sub-plots were planted at Melkassa and Alme Tena during 2017/2018 main season. The combined analysis of variance over locations revealed highly significant (P≤0.01) variations for both sowing dates, and genotypes for most of the traits evaluated. The dates that ranged from July 15 to July 20 would be recommendable as appropriate time for sowing and the genotype Dtt2XDtt13 (RIL No.37) mean grain yield of 1345 kg ha-1over locations out-performed the rest of the genotypes including the standard checks. Hence, this genotype can be used for further testing. Since this is a mono-season experiment, further studies over multiple seasons and locations are required to make comprehensive conclusions and recommendations. Key words: Genotypes, grain yield, growth parameters, phenology, sowing dates, tef.
Highlights
IntroductionTef belongs to the grass family Poaceae
Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is an ancient crop in Ethiopia, and the country is considered to be center of both origin and diversity for the species (Vavilov, 1951).Tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae
The recombinant inbred lines (RILs) have been developed at DZARC by the National Tef Improvement Program, and they were relatively early maturing types and selected based on their high grain and biomass yield in the moisture stress environments of the rift valley areas of Ethiopia in earlier observation nurseries
Summary
Tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae. It is a C4; selfpollinated chasmogamous annual cereal (Ketema, 1993). With annual acreage of 3.02 million ha from which 1 about 5.283 million tons are harvested, tef accounts for about 30% of the total acreage and 20% of the gross grain production of all cereals cultivated in Ethiopia (CSA, 2018). Being produced by about 6.77 million Ethiopian smallholder farmers that constitute over 43% of all the country’s farmers’ households (CSA, 2018), tef mainly serves as the major staple cereal for over 70% of the estimated 110 million Ethiopian population. In spite of its supreme agricultural sand economic significance, the productivity of tef is very low compared to other cereals mainly due to lack of adequate scientific improvement on the crop, widespread use of local varieties and lack of drought tolerant varieties. In South Africa, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique tef is mainly grown as forage or pasture crop (Assefa et al, 2011a,b)
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