Farmers' Breeding of Sorghum in the Center of Diversity, Ethiopia: I. Socioecotype Differentiation, Varietal Mixture and Selection Efficiency

Abstract

Sorghum is one of the main staple crops tor the poorest and mosl food insecure people of the world. Elhiopla being Ihe center of origin and diversity for sorghum, the crop has been cultivated for many thousand years, in order to quantify socioecotype differentiation, varietal mixture, and selection efficiency, both survey research and field experiments were undertaken. Sorghum is found to be widely grown in the study area and adaptively differentiated into races, ecotypes, and varieties. The typical Durra race is tbund in the lowlands; Durra. Durra-Caudatum, and Caudatum are found in the intermediate altitude and Bicolor-Caudatum, Fircw Mekbib is affiliated with Haramaya University, The author thanks the farmers of eastern Ethiopia for their participation and sharing their ideas and knowledge on the different aspects of farmer breeding. He is grateful tor the research and field assistants thai assisted with the interviews with farmers and for field and laboratory work. Thanks also go to various NGOs and GOs who have helped and assisted in the various aspects of the surveys and fieldwork. He also thanks the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.Guinea-Caudatum, and Bicolor races are found in the highlands. Ecotype differentiation resulted in ecotypes and varieties specifically adapted to the erop growing environments. A transect of variety by aliiiude showed a genotype substitution over altitudinal ranges trom the lowlands to the highlands. Socioecotypic differentiation, introduced as a new concept, is the spatial and temporal differentiation of genotypes due to the ecological and soeioeconomic factors. As a way of managing the varietal mixture portfolio, 39% of the farmers exercise intervarietal replacement by varieties with better adaptation, quality, and yield. Farmers knew that there is no as such a perfect variety and it is practically impossible for a single variety to meet all the requirements. As a result, 61% ofthe farmers use varietal mixtures as a complementary strategy. Of these, 96% of them select and compose the varieties in the varietal mixture intentionally. Hence, the varietal components were not random selections but specific combinations. Direct and participatory on farm monitoring showed that the average number of varieties in the varietal mixture per plot was about ten. The mean number of varieties per quadrant was 4.41. The mean frequency of the varieties by type was two per quadrant. Ratooning was practiced by 30% of the farmers. The determining factors dictating ratooning were drought (71%) and pest (26%). Transplanting was one of ihe plant stand management strategies. Farmers' varieties showed significant variation for the yield, 1000 seed weight, plant height, and panicle weight. A significant interaction was also observed for yield between varieties and selection, and between farmer and selection. The three major varieties developed by the farmers in each wereda of eastern Ethiopia were identified and have to be promoted for production in areas of ecological adaptation a...

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