Faba Bean Variety Development for Yield, Quality, and Disease Resistance for Water Logged Vertisol Areas-Registration of a Faba Bean Variety Named ‘Ashebeka’

A faba bean (Vicia faba L.) variety named Ashebeka with a pedigree designation of EH01075-4 has been released in 2015 by Kulumsa agricultural research center in Ethiopia. The variety is best adapted to waterlogging vertisol environments of Ethiopia with altitudes ranging from 1900 to 2800 meters above sea level. The variety was developed through hybridization between N86108-5 and BPL1297-1. The candidate variety has been tested at four locations (Arsi Robe, Sagure, Ambo and Inewari) representing major waterlogging vertisol environments of the country during 2012 and 2013 main cropping seasons making eight test environments. The variety is mainly characterized by its higher grain yield and heavier seed size (885g 1000 seeds-1) than the standard checks and all the remaining genotypes in the trail. The variety Ashebeka showed 34% seed size advantage over Hachalu, the popular best standard check recently released for water logging vertisol production areas. Based on selected a parametric method that includes yield rank and stability, Ashebeka showed better performance stability across the test environments and over years than the standard checks, Hachalu and Walki. The variety showed better overall agronomic performance, and moderately resistance to major faba bean disease including root rot, rust and chocolate spot than the standard checks in the trial, and could be cultivated across mid to high altitude agro-ecologies with water-logging vertisol conditions of the country

Field Pea Variety Development for Yield and Disease Resistance for Potential Areas - Registration of a Field Pea Variety Named ‘Bursa’

Field pea (pisum sativum L.) variety ‘Bursa’, with a pedigree (EH 04053 × EH 04051) and breeder ID designation of ‘EH05027-2’ was released in 2015 for highland areas of the country. The variety has been registered by Kulumsa Agricultural research center and it was tested at better representative environments (Kulumsa, Bekoji, Asassa, Kofele, Adet, Adadi, Jeldu and Sinana) representing mid-highland and highland (1800 to 3000 mean above sea level) agro-ecologies during 2012- to 2013- cropping season. The variety produced 2.78% and 3.09% seed yield advantage over the standard checks Burkitu and Letu, and produced 8% seed size advantage over the shiro-type standard check Letu respectively. It also had comparable resistance/tolerant level to major field pea diseases as checks. The variety is mainly characterized by superior mean grain yield as compared from standard check both Burkitu and Letu based on different yield measurement and stability testing parameters across location and over year yield recorded data from national variety trials

Genetic progresses from over three decades of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) breeding in Ethiopia

Abstract Eleven faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties released between 1977 and 2007, and two promising genotypes, were evaluated to estimate the genetic progresses made in 33 years of faba bean breeding in Ethiopia. The study was conducted at eight environments during 2007 and 2009 cropping seasons in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Records taken on grain yield, seed size and chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) severity were subjected to statistical analysis. Combined analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes and the test environments for all traits, the G × E interaction effects being significant for grain yield and seed size. Regression of mean performance at all environments on year of varietal release showed positive relationship for grain yield (r = 0.48) and seed size (r = 0.80**) but negative for chocolate spot (r = -0.60*). The annual rates of genetic progresses were 8.74 kg ha -1 , 8.07 g 1000 seeds -1 and -0.27% for grain yield, seed size and chocolate spot, respectively. The average cumulative gains over 33 years of breeding was, therefore, 288.4 kg (8.1%) for grain yield, 266.3 g (51.12%) for seed size and -8.9% for chocolate spot severity. Seed size showed the most dramatic response to breeding for the last 33 years may be because of a lesser polygenic nature of this trait and better availability of best donor parents as compared to grain yield. The relatively slower responses of grain yield and chocolate spot to breeding may be associated with the polygenetic nature of the former and shortage of good donor parents for the later. The prior release of an exceptionally stable and better adapted variety, CS20DK, in 1977 might also seemingly undermined progresses of later efforts. It is, therefore, strategically advisable that breeding efforts in the future should give due attention to building on the shortcomings of widely adapted varieties like CS20DK

Feeding your soil-nurturing the people

United States Agency for International Developmen

Natural resource management: Africa RISING science, innovations and technologies with scaling potential from the Ethiopian highlands

United States Agency for International Developmen