Genetic improvement in grain yield potential and associated traits of food barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Ethiopia

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Wondimu Fekadu
Habtamu Zelekle
Amsalu Ayana

Abstract

An experiment was conducted using ten food barley varieties in RCBD with four replications
at three testing locations during 2009 main cropping season. The objectives of the study were
to estimate the progress made in improving grain yield potential of barley varieties and
changes in agro-morphological traits associated with yield potential improvement. Analyses
of variances showed significant differences among varieties for all traits except grain filling
period, biomass yield and biomass production rate. Grain yield has increased from 3314.8 kg
ha -1 to 5088.6 kg ha -1 during the period from 1970 to 2006 in Ethiopia. An increment in grain
yield of modern varieties over the farmers’ variety Balami and oldest improved variety
IAR/H/485 was 1690 kg ha -1 (51%) and 1388 kg ha -1 (38%) respectively. Based on regression of
mean grain yield versus the number of year’s elapsed since1970/1973, yield gain has risen at
an average rate of 44.24 kg ha -1 (1.34%) and 42.96 kg ha -1 (1.19%) per year of release,
respectively. In this study absence of yield plateau indicated the potential for further progress
in grain yield in food barley. Besides, significantly increasing trends parallel to variety release
were also evident for harvest index, reduced plant height, total grain sink filling rate, spike
grain sink filling rate and spike per plant whereas biomass yield remain unmodified.
Correlation analysis indicated that , grain yield was significantly and positively correlated
with harvest index, total grain sink filling rate, spike grain sink filling rate and kernel weight
per spike. Moreover, grain yield, harvest index, total grain sink filling rate, spike grain sink
filling rate, plant height and spike per plant were significantly associated with year of release
of varieties. On the other hand, stepwise regression analysis depicted that harvest index and
biomass yield accounted for 73% of the variation among the varieties in grain yield.

Article Details

How to Cite
Fekadu, W., Zelekle, H., & Ayana, A. (2011). Genetic improvement in grain yield potential and associated traits of food barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2(2), 39-57. Retrieved from https://journals.ju.edu.et/index.php/ejast/article/view/809
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Articles
Author Biographies

Wondimu Fekadu, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Holetta
Agricultural Research Center, EIAR, P.O. Box 2003,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Habtamu Zelekle, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

School of Plant Sciences, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

Amsalu Ayana, Addis Ababa

Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box, 81265, Addis Ababa