Improvement in Yield Potential of Rainfed Bread Wheat in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia
1995
Amsal Tarekegne | Getinet Gebeyehu (Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)) | Tesfaye Tesema | Tanner, D.G.
Experiments were conducted at the Holetta Research Center in 1989 and Kulumsa Research Center in 1989 and 1990 to estimate the progress made in improving grain yield potential of rainfed bread wheat in Ethiopia since 1949. Thirteen popular varieties released between 1949 and 1987 in the central highlands of Ethiopia were grown with the effects of other genetic changes minimized by spraying fungicides to control foliar diseases, by using nets to prevent lodging and by periodic hand weeding to control weeds. Non-limiting levels of fertilizer were applied. There were significant differences among varieties for all crop parameter studied. The grain yield potential of bread wheat varieties released since 1949 has increased at a mean rate of 77 kg ha-1 (2.21 percent) year -1 of release at Holetta and 50 kg ha-1 (1.77 percent) year-1 of release at Kulumsa. This increase in grain yield potential of bread wheat was strongly associated with increases in harvest index and showed strong and positive correlations with the number of grains m-2 and spike-1 at both locations. The results indicate that genetic improvement has substantially increased the grain yield potential of rainfed bread wheat in the central highlands of Ethiopia, resulting from improvements in harvest inter associated with an increased number of grains spike-1 and grains m-2
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