Exploring the Variation in Grain and Straw Yield and Straw Quality Traits of Improved Varieties of Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]
Received Date: Nov 24, 2021 / Accepted Date: Feb 14, 2022 / Published Date: Feb 16, 2022
Abstract
Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is an indigenous Ethiopian cereal providing healthy and nutritious diets for people and a palatable straw for livestock. Thirty-five released varieties and a local check were grown at two locations over two years in Ethiopia to investigate the variation in grain and straw yield and straw quality traits of tef. The investigated traits were grain yield (GY), straw yield (STY), crude protein (CP), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), metabolizable energy (ME), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). GY, CP, IVOMD and ME were significantly (P < 0.01) affected by the variety of tef, the cultivation environment and their interactions. The performances of the GY, CP, IVOMD and ME traits were higher (P < 0.01) at mid-altitude, in Debre Zeit, compared to the high-altitude site, Holetta, and in 2016 than 2015. Similarly, the associations observed between GY and STY, among CP, ME and IVOMD, and among NDF, ADF and ADL were significant (P<0.01) and positive. Conversely, the association between yield and quality traits was significant and negative. The present study also identified four groups of varieties based on their grain and straw yield and straw quality traits, with some varieties performing above the mean for both yield and quality traits. Hence, varieties like Melko which possess better grain and straw yield and quality traits could be promoted for immediate utilization as a dual-purpose variety or as a parental line in changing the existing tef breeding strategy that focuses on grain yield improvement alone.
Citation: Jifar H, Assefa K, Tadele Z, Tesfaye K, Dagne K, et al. (2022) Exploring the Variation in Grain and Straw Yield and Straw Quality Traits of Improved Varieties of Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]. Adv Crop Sci Tech 10: 494. Doi: 10.4172/2329-8863.1000494
Copyright: © 2022 Jifar H, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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