Registration of Hora, Small-red Seed Food Type Common Bean (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i>) Varieties for Midland Areas of Bale and East Bale, Southeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia has suitable environmental condition for common bean production. However, the productivity of common bean is very low as compared with world average due to lack of stable, high yielding, and disease resistant genotypes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to register stable high yielding and disease resistant/tolerant common bean variety for midlands areas of Bale and other similar agro-ecologies in the country. The experiment was carried out at two locations from 2015 to 2017 main cropping season using 15 genotypes including standard checks. Eventually, two promising genotypes, “SCR-28 and SCR-8” were selected and promoted to variety verification trail with the standard check ‘’SCR 1 and Nasir” during the 2020/21 cropping season. The National Variety Release Technical Committee evaluated the two candidate varieties at Goro and Ginner on research stations and farmers’ fields. Among the two evaluated varieties, SRC-28, ‘Hora’, is well adapted to altitudes ranging between 1600 and 1950 meters above sea level and gave high seed yield (1587 kg ha^-1) and stable performance across years and locations. It has about 29.3% yield advantage over the standard check variety, “Nasir”. Hora is also resistant/ Tolerant level of reactions to Alternaria Leaf Spot, Common Bacteria Blight and Rust. Hence, Hora is released for Midland Areas of Bale, East Bale and similar agro-ecologies for its stable, high grain yield and resistant to major diseases. Therefore, farmers could be cultivated Hora for increasing productivity of the crop with its full recommended packages.