Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A): Registration of High-Yielding Dual Purpose Oat Variety for Ethiopian Agriculture

Abstract

The forage dry matter, seed yield, and fodder quality were found to be far below their potential in Ethiopia. One possible reason may be the limited availability of stable, high-yielding quality forage varieties in the mid- and highlands of the country. A field study was conducted to assess and introduce stable, high-yielding, and disease-resistant oat varieties. Eleven genotypes were compared at four locations (Arba Minch, Areka, Bonga, and Hawassa) during the 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons. Then, the performance of Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527) was verified on farms and on-stations and compared with two standard checks (SRCPX80AB2806 and SRCPX80AB2291) during the 2020–2021 main cropping seasons. The Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) variety performed better in most agronomic traits than both standard checks. Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) had an average dry matter yield of 12.59 t/ha, a seed yield of 3.6 t/ha, and a crude protein yield of 1.48 t/ha. The yield advantages of dry matter yield, seed yield, and crude protein yield were 8% and 21%, 0% and 9%, and 22.12% and 77.78% over the SRCPX80AB2806 and SRCPX80AB2291 varieties, respectively. Moreover, the new variety had shorter days of flowering and forage harvesting, and was resistant to septoria net blotch and yellow rust diseases. Therefore, Ezo_ote was found to be a superior oat variety in the checks and other trial varieties. The National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) approved Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) as a dual-purpose crop variety for cultivation and research in mid to high altitudes of Ethiopia. Keywords: Ezo_ote, Avena sativa L, crude protein yield, dual purpose, ILRI_5527A