Appraisal of farmers wheat production constraints and breeding priorities in rust prone agro-ecologies of Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia is the second largest producer of wheat in sub-Saharan Africa although yields remain considerably below the global average due to several production constraints. The aim of the study was to identify the primary threats to wheat production, farmers' selection criteria for wheat varieties, and disease management practices with emphasis on wheat rusts in the Arsi, Bale and West Shewa administrative zones of Ethiopia. A total of 270 wheat growing households were interviewed in the three administrative zones in 2012. Participatory rural appraisal tools, a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to engage with the farmers. Main wheat production constraints were wheat rust diseases, the high costs of fertilizers, shortage of improved seeds and high seed prices. The most important traits that farmers sought in wheat varieties were disease resistance (27.8%) and high grain yield (24.8%). Owing to the limited availability of rusts resistant varieties, and the emergence of virulent pathotypes, fungicide application was the main disease management practice used by 60% of respondent farmers. To enhance wheat production and productivity in Ethiopia, it is important to develop rust resistant varieties considering farmers' preferences, promote access to wheat production inputs and strengthen seed multiplication and dissemination of improved varieties.

Wheat production and marketing in Ethiopia: Review study

“…Ethiopia ranks 31st in the world with 4.2 million quintals produced on 1.7 million hectares of land (Goshu et al, 2019) and is one of the largest sub-Saharan African wheat producers and ranks second to South Africa in terms of total wheat area coverage and the amount produced (Hei et al, 2017). On the other hand, according to CSA (2012) and Negassa et al (2013), Ethiopia takes the first rank with an average annual production of 360 million quintals between 2011 and 2014 production seasons.…”

“…On the other hand, according to CSA (2012) and Negassa et al (2013), Ethiopia takes the first rank with an average annual production of 360 million quintals between 2011 and 2014 production seasons. Yet, regarding total yield, since small-scale farmer's dominance relied on rain feed agriculture, and due to their traditional production system, Ethiopian wheat ranks 67th worldwide even below other sub-Saharan countries (Goshu et al, 2019;Hei et al, 2017;Minot et al, 2015;Tadesse et al, 2018). Empirical studies on assessment of wheat yield indicate that other African countries such as Egypt, South Africa and Kenya have 67, 35 and 30 quintals per hectare, respectively.…”

“…Despite good production and productivity trends made, Ethiopia has faced a growing supply deficit (Bergh et al, 2012). Even if it shows increasing trend domestically, still Ethiopian wheat production is relatively small by global standards (Hei et al, 2017). To increase the demand of wheat globally, the government should give attention through working together with large-scale commercial investors.…”

Review on the Response of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Grain Yield to Different Planting Methods in Ethiopia

“…Ethiopia is the second-largest producer of wheat in Sub-Saharan Africa (Netsanet et al, 2017). Wheat is one of the major cereal crops in Ethiopia, which grows between 6 and 16 o N latitudes; and between 35 and 42 o E longitude ranging in altitude from 1500 m to 3000m (CSA, 2010).…”

“…Wheat is one of the major cereal crops in Ethiopia, which grows between 6 and 16 o N latitudes; and between 35 and 42 o E longitude ranging in altitude from 1500 m to 3000m (CSA, 2010). It is largely grown in the highlands of the country and constitutes roughly 10% of the annual cereal production and plays an appreciable role in supplying the population with carbohydrate, protein, and mineral (Schulthess et al, 1997;Netsanet et al, 2017).…”