Teff (Eragrostis tef [Zucc.] Trotter) Variety Development for Moisture Deficit Areas in Northern Ethiopia

Teff is the most widely cultivated food crop in Ethiopia, accounting for around one‐third of the total acreage and one‐fifth of the gross grain production of all cereals cultivated in the country. In Ethiopia, more than fifty-eight improved teff varieties have been developed and released by agricultural research institutes. Most of these varieties were released for high-potential areas of the country, except for the very few early maturing varieties that were specifically released for the low moisture stress areas. The objective of this experiment was to identify and release stable and high-yielding teff genotypes that are preferred by farmers and adapted to the moisture-deficient areas of Northern Ethiopia. Twenty selected teff genotypes, including standard and local checks, were evaluated at Ataye and Sirinka in 2019 and 2020, whereas during 2019 at Simada and at Shewarobit in 2021 cropping season using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance detected significant differences among genotypes for all observed traits in both the separated and combined analyses. The combined ANOVA for grain yield across environments revealed genotypes are significantly affected by environments. Genotype and their interaction accounted for 70.5 %, 9.5 %, and 13.3 % respectively. Among the genotypes tested, DZ-01-974 XGA-10-3 (RILL-16) was found predominant in terms of yield and stability at tested moisture-stress environments. This genotype was later released as DZ-CR-459(RIL-16) or Ataye by the National Variety Release Committee in 2023, with a yield advantage of 21.3% and 35.2% over the standard (Mena) and local check, respectively.