Assessments of Genetic Diversity for Agro Morphological Traits of Teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter] Germplasm Collections of Ethiopia

Abstract

One hundred fifty-two teff genotypes and two checks (Filagot and Tesfa) were used for the field experiment. The objective of this study was to characterize and assess the genetic diversity for traits of teff genotypes during the cropping season of 2019/2020 at Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center. The augmented design was used with eleven blocks. Results obtained from the analysis of variance for quantitative traits showed a highly significant difference for culm diameter and panicle length of the main panicle; significant difference for traits such as days to 50% maturity, and plant height. These findings revealed that there was a significant difference among most of the traits. There was a wide range of variations for days to 50% flowering and 50% maturity, plant height, panicle length, spikelet per panicle, and grain yield. Higher Genotypic coefficient of variation, phenotypic coefficient of variation, genetic advance (as % mean), and heritability in the broader sense were observed for grain yield per plot, spikelet per panicle, grain yield per plot, and culm diameter, respectively. Cluster analysis of teff genotypes in the formation of 4 clusters ranging with high inter and intracluster distances between them. The first four principal components explained about 79.37% of the entire diversity among teff population. Days to 50% flowering, days to 50% maturity, plant height, panicle length, culm diameter, and spikelet per panicle showed greater loadings in the first principal component. The observed genetic diversity suggested the importance of further evaluation of these genotypes across locations and seasons to develop varieties.