Abstract
Developing new crops adapted to arid conditions is a promising approach to meet the increasing demand for food production under expanding aridity. Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a C4 cereal crop cultivated mainly in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and known for its high resilience to stressful environments. Due to their tiny size, tef seeds are traditionally sown by broadcasting and lightly covering with soil. Under semiarid Mediterranean conditions, a deeper sowing may guarantee seedling establishment while saving on irrigation water. The objective of this study was, therefore, to determine the effects of sowing depth on tef emergence, development, lodging, and productivity. Tef seeds were sown at different depths in test tubes and pots, and in two field experiments. In tubes and pots, time from sowing to emergence increased about twofold and emergence rate decreased in the deepest sowing (3 cm) treatment compared to controls (0 cm). In the pot and field trials, deep sowing (3 cm) significantly reduced plant height, shoot and root biomass, and lodging. Sowing depths of 1–2 cm allowed successful plant establishment while not exacting penalties on plant emergence or development; hence this range appears to be optimal for sowing irrigated tef.
Highlights
Climate change toward higher temperatures, greater aridity, and more frequent erratic climate events is posing a major threat to agricultural sustainability [1]
A rather clear breaking point can be observed with respect to germination rate, with a significant reduction for the 3 cm depth treatment in both test tubes (Figure 2B) and pots (Figure 4B), which was confirmed in the two field trials (Table 5)
An optimal sowing depth should allow sufficient soil above the seed to maintain the required moisture for germination, while not inflicting penalties on seedling emergence or plant development
Summary
Climate change toward higher temperatures, greater aridity, and more frequent erratic climate events is posing a major threat to agricultural sustainability [1]. The development of new crops adapted to arid conditions is among the promising approaches to meet the projected demand for food production under expanding aridity. The introduction of a crop into a new region requires comprehensive studies of the crop’s responses to environmental factors. Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a cereal crop that is cultivated mainly in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa [2]. Tef has a thin culm, long narrow leaves, and a thousand-kernel weight of 200–400 mg, making it the smallest-grained cereal [3]. In Israel, the demand for tef grain is further increased by the Ethiopian descent citizens who continue to consume it for their traditional cuisine [6]
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