Local seed systems, which supply about 99% of bean seeds in the east and central Africa regions, are progressively being supported as an alternative to facilitate the accessibility of improved bean varieties to farmers. However, these systems have been rightly or wrongly criticized for supplying substandard quality seeds. This study was carried out to assess the seed health of different seed grades from different sources of two popular Ethiopian bean varieties. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to detect fungal and bacterial pathogens of the major bean seed-borne diseases. The ELISA test was used to assess the status of the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV). No fungal or bacterial pathogens were detected in the seeds. However, BCMV was detected in almost all sources except seed from one untrained farmer and one grain merchant. 294 R. J. Claude et al.The study findings provide evidence about the capacity of the local seed system to produce and supply seed of an acceptable quality.
Common bean research program of Ethiopia aimed at development of demanded variety for enhanced adoption, improve food and nutrition security as well as to boost income of smallholder farmers thereby enhancing foreign earnings of the country. To achieve these aim, the breeding program use different strategies. These incudes, importing demanded variety and fast-track testing release, introducing bean germplasm and release stable variety and participatory variety selection for incorporating growers traits on variety selection. Accordingly, bean improvement program selected six major bean products that includes, small/large white beans, speckled bean, small/large reds and mottled beans. During variety selection stakeholders’ choice and trait of preference has been incorporated during interactive consultative forums of the value chain actor at bean innovation multi-stakeholder platform. Apart from bean variety development, integrated crop management technologies has been developed to implement good agricultural practice. To facilitate common variety adoption, bean seed system have been enhanced through integration of early generation seed production with formal and informal seed production of public and private seed producers. These efforts has enhanced transformed productivity from 0.7 to 1.5 t/ha and area expanded from 150,000 ha to 520,121 ha and total production up to 568,243 t. Due to this fact bean export has been increased up to 100–150 million USD per annum. Generally, the demand led breeding and value chain approach, synergetic and innovative technology generation and promotion has transformed bean productivity, area produced and market; consecutively livelihood of growers and income of the country has been enhanced.
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