Evaluation of Yield Performance and Stability of Early Maturing Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter] Genotypes in Tigray, Ethiopia
Chekole Nigus *
Tigary Agricultural Research Institute, Axum Agricultural Research center, Axum, Ethiopia.
Yonas Gebremariam
Tigary Agricultural Research Institute, Axum Agricultural Research center, Axum, Ethiopia.
Haftamu Hailkiross
Tigary Agricultural Research Institute, Axum Agricultural Research center, Axum, Ethiopia.
Adhana Meles
Tigary Agricultural Research Institute, Alamata Agricultural Research center, Alamata, Ethiopia.
Gebretsadkan Zereabruk
Tigary Agricultural Research Institute, Axum Agricultural Research center, Axum, Ethiopia.
Yemane Tsehaye
Plant Physiology Sector Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras-UFLA, Brazil and Department of Dryland Crops and Horticultural Sciences, Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia.
Mewael Kiros
Plant Physiology Sector Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras-UFLA, Brazil and Department of Plant Sciences, Aksum University Shire Campus, Shire, Tigray, Ethiopia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Tef, a staple food crop in Ethiopia, is well-adapted to diverse climatic conditions and soil types. Despite its resilience, tef's national yield remains low at 1900kg/ha due to moisture stress, lodging, soil fertility, and poor agronomic practices etc. With a potential yield of 6000kg/ha, there is significant gap to bridge. This study assessed the yield performance and stability of early maturing tef genotypes across three locations over two years in moisture-stressed areas of Tigray. Data was collected on grain yield (kg/ha) on the recombinant inbred lines of tef. The ANOVA was used to estimate the effect of environment, genotypes and genotype by environment interaction. Whereas, the genotype stability was analyzed by GGE biplot and AMMI ANOVA. Analysis of variance showed significant differences (P<0.01) among genotypes, environments, and genotype by environment interaction (GEI). Environments accounted for 85.23% of yield variation, genotypes for 3.37%, and GEI for 11.38%. The highest yield was from genotype KaymurriX3774-13(RIL-99) at Alamata 2019 (4320.3 kg/ha), with a grand mean yield of 2066.5 kg/ha across all environments. The study identified a crossover type GEI, with yield variation attributed to climatic factors and soil fertility. The AMMI and GGE biplot analyses explained 73.02% and 89.40% of the GEI effect, respectively, with KaymurriX3774-13(RIL-99) consistently performing best. This study highlighted the importance of selecting high-yielding, stable tef genotypes and classifying tef growing locations for better evaluation and recommendation, considering the impact of uneven rainfall and other yield-limiting factors.
Keywords: Stable tef genotypes, moisture stress, multi yield trials, additive main effect and multiplicative interaction model (AMMI), genotype plus genotype by environment interaction (GGE-biplot)