Sorghum is the most well-known helpful cereal crop for poor farmers in Ethiopia’s dry lowland areas due to it’s a high yielding, drought tolerant, nutrient use efficiency crop that can be grown over 80 % of the worlds’ cultivated land. It has many advantages in the economic lives of the farmers in the highlands of the country. It is a source of food, feed, fuel, construction, fencing to poor farmers of Ethiopia. Though, many biological and environmental stresses are reducing grain yield increment. Foliar and grain diseases are one of the main biological stresses limiting sorghum production and productivity in the high and intermediate rainfall areas of Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the current state of highland sorghum improvement in Ethiopia’s highlands. Breeders, pathologists, agronomists, and research extension workers have all worked hard to overcome the constraints. In addition, the national sorghum research program is focusing on developing tolerant varieties that can withstand a variety of pressures by backcrossing tolerant characteristics into existing potential landraces and elite advanced lines. Due to many yield-limiting conditions, the crop’s production is well below its potential. Sorghum breeding began in Ethiopia in the early 1950s to solve important production difficulties that contributed to low productivity, and as a result, a number of improved varieties have been offered to farmers. Since 1978, research and development efforts previous to Ethiopian sorghum enhancement have been studied. Generally, believe that future productivity will most likely increase as a result of the integration of a diverse collection of mutually beneficial disciplines and organizations with varying priorities in technology development, advancement, promotion, and market/product production. Multidisciplinary methodologies, system sustainability with temporal and spatial intensification, and participation of essential stakeholders, including farmers, in the technological development, increase, promotion, and proper intervention in production are also of interest.
Sixty two advanced hybrid sorghum varieties were evaluated in three environments, Kobo (KB), Sheraro (SH) and Mieso (MS) during 2019 of the main season. The objective of this study was to evaluate sorghum hybrids for production in drought stressed areas of Ethiopia. The experiment was piloted using a randomized complete block design with two replications. The result of over sites showed for grain yield, environments, environment by block and genotype by environment interaction effect highly signifi cant variability among the genotypes. These point out that the variability among varieties and highly diverse growing situations across these three environments and vital in governing the expression of these traits. Signifi cant genotype interaction by environment resulted either from differential responses of the variety or the test environments were highly signifi cant (P ≤ 0.001). Out of 62 genotypes, G52, G47 and G38 were with near zero IPCA scores and hence have less interaction with the environments. Out of which only G47 and G52 had above average yield performance. Among environments, SH exhibited near zero IPCA1 score and hence had small interaction effects among environments, indicating that all the genotypes performed well in this location. So, it is the most favorable environments for most genotypes while MS and KB were good for only few genotypes. Genotypes, G36, G49, G37, G12, G68 and G6 generally exhibited high yield of positive IPCA1 score, from which G28, G55 and G34 had high IPCA1 scores in which G55 and G28 being the overall best genotype. Hence, the G55 and G28 were identifi ed as specially adapted and the highest yielding genotype to the corresponding environments. Generally, G33 can be recommended for specifi c adaptation whereas, G55 and G28 relatively for wider adaptation.
Genotype x environment (GxE) interaction and yield-stability analysis is an imperative in measuring varietal stability and suitability for cultivation over seasons and ecological zones. Developing high performing and stable genotypes across different locations is of most importance to plant breeders. This study was conducted using 84 hybrid lines to identify the most stable and high yielding genotypes. To gain these objective, multipleenvironmental trials (MET) was undertaken annually across locations. AMMI model has shown that the largest proportion of the total variation in grain yield was attributed to environments and somehow to genotypes. GGE bi-plot analysis also visualized the winner genotype at each area and to identify high yielding and stable genotypes. The genotype with the high yield in SR is G66, and in KB G27, G10, G79, in SH G25, G78, G86 and G68 while, in SR the best genotypes is G66. The other vertex genotypes (G1, G32, G51, 71 and G26 are poorest in all environments. Environments, AM and SH exerted strong interaction forces while the rest two did less. On the other hand, the genotypes near the origin are not sensitive to environmental interaction and those distant from the origins are sensitive and have large interaction. Hence, G1, G5, G66, G71, G18, G10 and G25 had more responsive since they were far away from the origin whereas the genotypes G54, G29, G23, G4, G9, G5, G43, G13 and G7 were close to the origin and hence they were less sensitive to environmental interactive forces while genotypes G38, G11, G45 and G76 were the most closest to the origin and hence had almost no interaction forces. Generally, G74 can be recommended for specific adaptation whereas G2 and G16 relatively for broader adaptation.
The experiment included two sorghum varieties, four salicylic acid (SA) rates, and three application times in a factorial design. Following foliar application of 0.5 or 1mM salicylic acid (SA), stem borer severity and stem lodging percentage were significantly reduced compared to controls (distilled water). For Meko, applying 0.5mM SA after 30 days of planting resulted in a 15% increase in grain yield above the control. Similarly, the application of 1Mm SA, 15 days after planting, increased the grain yield of ESH-1 by more than 20% than control. When sprayed with 0.5mM SA 30 days after planting, the hybrid ESH-1 produced the maximum dry biomass per plant (210.4g), while plants treated with distilled water produced the lowest dry biomass per plant (154.2 g). Similarly, for Meko, the highest dry biomass per plant (207.5 g) was found in plants sprayed with 0.5mM SA 45 days after planting, while the lowest dry biomass (124.3 g) was found in plants sprayed with distilled water 15 days after planting. So, in the Melkassa area, foliar sprays of 0.5 mM and 1 mM salicylic acid (SA) can boost grain yield of Meko and ESH-1 sorghum genotypes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.