Participatory Evaluation of Improved Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) Varieties in North Shewa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Farmers had been managed to double their lentil production in the past decade but still the national average productivity is found 1.4t ha-1. Some of the reasons are poor management, low extension service and promotion of improved varieties. Participatory variety selection is an important methodology in order to advocate the promotion of improved varieties. Thus, participatory variety selection of lentil was carried out at Ensaro and Moretina jiru districts of North shewa to select farmers’ preferred, best adaptable and yielded varieties. A total of seven varieties were evaluated and two approaches were used in the evaluation. The first one was researcher managed with RCBD design replicated three time but it is carried out on one farmer’s field per District. The second was farmers managed and varieties were not replicated per farmers but replication was considered across farmers. Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Among the tested varieties Derso, Jiru and Dembi were found good performing varieties with average yield of 2928.1, 2466.0 and 2390.3kgha-1, respectively. Derso had showed 1428.1kgha-1 yield increment over the current average lentil yield (1500kgha-1) in North shewa. Derso showed yield advantage of 82% over Alemaya whereas 26.3% over the local. Derso, Jiru and Dembi showed superior performance in biomass yield. Derso was early maturing variety among improved varieties and it was the first priority of the farmers with their first selection criteria namely resistant to terminal moisture stress though its overall rank is third. Overall, variety Derso outsmarts in both districts and therefore, better to popularize in large scale.