Yield and Agronomic Performance of Food Barley Varieties in Southern Ethiopia Highlands

Background and Objective: Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the major cereal crops grown in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to select and recommend the best adapted and high-yielding late-maturing food barley varieties for the Sidama and Gedeo Zones of Southern Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: Fourteen late maturing food barley varieties and the local check were laid out in RCBD with three replications at three Research Sub Centers at Bule in 2013 and 2014 whereas at Gedeb and Abera Gelede in 2014 only. Results: Mean grain yield across locations indicated that six varieties were significantly yielded the local check viz variety HB 1307, Cross 41/98, HB 42, EH 1493, Dimtu and Ardu 1260B which gave 6273.1, 5690.8, 5540.6, 5181, 5067.9 and 5047.3 kg ha G 1 , respectively. These high-yielding varieties gave a yield advantage of 39.07, 26.16, 22.92, 14.86, 12.35 and 11.90%, respectively compared to the local check. Conclusion: High-yielding and widely adaptable varieties across locations would be popularized and scaled up for production in the tested areas and similar agro-ecologies of Southern Ethiopia’s highlands. For specific adaptation, those varieties can be recommended for production in their niche where they are best-suited areas.


INTRODUCTION
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the five major cereal crops grown in Ethiopia's highlands for thousands of years 1 . It is the fifth most important crop after tef, maize, sorghum and wheat both in area coverage and total production 2 . It has grown from 1800 to 3400 m above sea level in different seasons and production systems 3 . In the extreme highlands, barley is the only source of food, homemade drinks, animal feed and cash. In Ethiopia, barley is generally grown in two different planting seasons per year: During the long rainy season (Meher) and the short rainy season (Belg) 4 . Barley is a dependable source of food in the highlands as is produced during the main and short rainy seasons as well as under residual moisture 3 . The late-barley production system is dominant in the highland areas of Ethiopia and is practiced during Meher, or the main rainy season (June to October). More than 47 food barley varieties have been released nationally. Despite releasing many varieties extension work on the promotion of improved varieties in the country has been very poor compared with that of bread wheat and maize 3 . Barley productivity is limited by poor soil fertility, frost, water logging, insect and leaf diseases, moisture stress, low-yielding varieties and, adequate agronomic practices 5 . These produce poor yields and have been practiced for centuries. Despite releasing many barley varieties in the country few have been accessed by Treatments, experimental design and cultural practices: For this study, 14 late-maturing varieties were collected from Holetta Agricultural Research Center and the local checks collected from the farmer's stock around the experimental sites were evaluated in the main rainy season (July to January). One hundred farmers from five villages 20 from each village visited the experiments during the physiological maturity period. Those farmers were appreciated especially for late-maturing varieties than other experiments of early maturing and malt barley varieties in the sub-center. Fourteen late-maturing food barley varieties and, the local check (Table 1) were tested for two years in 2013 and 2014 using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment was sown at a seed rate of 100 kg haG 1 during the main cropping season (July to January) at Bule, Abera Gelede and Gedeb Sub Centers. Each plot has six rows of 2.5 m in length. Each row was separated by 20 cm. The adjacent plots were separated by a blank row in both years. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers were applied at the rate of 41 N and 46 P 2 O 5 at planting, using urea and DAP (Di-ammonium phosphate) as a source of N and P 2 O 5 . One-third of the total amount of nitrogen was applied at planting in the form of urea and 2/3 after the first weeding. But the whole DAP was applied at planting as a source of phosphorus and nitrogen. Broadleaf weeds were controlled using 2,4-D herbicide applied four weeks after planting at the rate of one liter per 200 L of water haG 1 followed by two hand weeding with an interval of 15 days after herbicide application.
Data collection and statistical analysis: Days to heading and maturity, grain filling period, plant height (cm), spike length (cm), spikelet per spike, 1000 kernel weight (g) and grain yield were collected from the four central rows. Days to heading were recorded as when the spikes of 50% of the culm in a plot had fully extruded out. Physiological maturity was recorded when the plants had almost lost their green color from both vegetative and reproductive tissues. Plant height was measured from the ground level to the tip of the spike excluding the owns after physiological maturity. Grain yield was estimated after adjusting 12.5% seed moisture content. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted using SAS as described by researchers 1,6 and mean separation was done using Duncan Multiple Test Range Test (DMRT).

RESULTS
A combined analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.0001) for all agronomic, yield and yield component traits (Table 2). On the other hand, the ANOVA exhibited the presence of significant interaction of location by treatment for all agronomic, yield and yield component traits.

Agronomic characters:
Barley varieties have differed for days to heading, maturity, grain-filling period and plant height ranging from 70 to 88 days, 57 to 65 days and 95.8 to 118.6 cm for days to heading, maturity, grain-filling period and plant height, respectively (Table 3). Varieties Ardu 1260B, HB 42 and the local check took longer days to head 88, 87 and 87 days, respectively, while variety Harbu was earlier to head (70 days) ( Table 3). Variety Ardu 1260B took longer days to reach physiological maturity (148 days). But regarding grain filling period variety, HB1307 had a longer grain filling period (65 days). Variety Ardu 1260B was the tallest (118.6 cm) of all the rest of the varieties including the check.
Yield and yield components: Variety Dimtu exhibited a longer spike length (7.3 cm) ( Table 3). This variety also had more spikelets per spike (21.3) than all the improved varieties and the local check. Variety Shege had a heavier and significant thousand seed weight (48.8 g) than the local check. The mean grain yield across locations indicated that variety HB 1307 gave high grain yield (6273.1 kg haG 1 ) and bit all the varieties studied. Generally, mean grain yield across locations indicated that six varieties were significantly   The mean grain yield of each specific location indicated that improved varieties bit the local check ranged from one at Gedeb, 2014, five at Bule, 2014 and nine at Abera Gelede, 2014 (Table S1-S4). This indicates that there are potential varieties of those given above the local check in each specific location.    *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** finding 9 found the local cultivar matured later compared to other varieties while Lema et al. 8 and Maggo 10 reported that variety HB 42 was later to reach physiological maturity 126 and 144 days, respectively than the rest of the barley varieties and local check. But regarding grain filling period variety, HB1307 had a longer grain filling period than the check. In disagreement with this result, an experiment done in West Shewa showed the local check had more grain filling periods than improved varieties 9 . A longer grain filling periods allow photosynthetic components to remain green improving grain filling and leading to good grain yield of post-anthesis assimilates which is important in cereals 11 . Variety Ardu 1260B was the tallest of all the rest of the varieties including the check. Not in line with the study, Lema et al. 8 and Maggo 10  The six high-yielding and widely adaptable varieties would be popularized and scaled up for production in the tested areas and similar agro-ecologies of Southern Ethiopia's highlands. Those four varieties for specific adaptation are recommended for production in their niche where they are best-suited areas. Despite releasing many food barley varieties in the country few have been accessed by farmers with their improved agronomic practices, this is accompanied by low productivity. Promotions of recently released barley varieties are important for barley-growing farmers to easily access them and to increase production and productivity. So participatory evaluation of recently released varieties by researchers and farmers is important for easy adoption of the varieties which leads to increased production and productivity.

CONCLUSION
In this study, six wide and four specific adaptable varieties were identified and the evaluated barley varieties showed variation in phenological, yield and yield component traits. These adapted and top yielder varieties gave yield advantages of 39.07, 26.16, 22.92, 14.86, 12.35 and 11.90%, respectively compared to the local check. These varieties are high yielding and widely adaptable across locations and would be popularized and scaled up for production in the tested area and similar agro-ecologies of Southern Ethiopia highlands. For specific adaptation, the four barley varieties can be recommended for production in their niche where they are best-suited areas.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
In this study, from the 14 evaluated food barley varieties select and recommend at least one adapted and high-yielding variety to farmers of Southern Ethiopia. In this regard six wide and four specific adaptable varieties were identified. These high-yielding varieties gave a yield advantage between 11.9 and 39.07% compared to the local check. Therefore, these high-yielding and widely adaptable food barley varieties across locations would be popularized and scaled up for production in the tested areas and similar agroecologies of Southern Ethiopia's highlands. This increases the production and productivity of barleygrowing farmers. But the four specific adapted varieties can be recommended for production in their niche where they are best-suited areas.