Evaluation of Yield Performance and Stability of Early Maturing Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter] Genotypes in Tigray, Ethiopia

Tef, a staple food crop in Ethiopia, is well-adapted to diverse climatic conditions and soil types. Despite its resilience, tef's national yield remains low at 1900kg/ha due to moisture stress, lodging, soil fertility, and poor agronomic practices etc. With a potential yield of 6000kg/ha, there is significant gap to bridge. This study assessed the yield performance and stability of early maturing tef genotypes across three locations over two years in moisture-stressed areas of Tigray. Data was collected on grain yield (kg/ha) on the recombinant inbred lines of tef. The ANOVA was used to estimate the effect of environment, genotypes and genotype by environment interaction. Whereas, the genotype stability was analyzed by GGE biplot and AMMI ANOVA. Analysis of variance showed significant differences (P<0.01) among genotypes, environments, and genotype by environment interaction (GEI). Environments accounted for 85.23% of yield variation, genotypes for 3.37%, and GEI for 11.38%. The highest yield was from genotype KaymurriX3774-13(RIL-99) at Alamata 2019 (4320.3 kg/ha), with a grand mean yield of 2066.5 kg/ha across all environments. The study identified a crossover type GEI, with yield variation attributed to climatic factors and soil fertility. The AMMI and GGE biplot analyses explained 73.02% and 89.40% of the GEI effect, respectively, with KaymurriX3774-13(RIL-99) consistently performing best. This study highlighted the importance of selecting high-yielding, stable tef genotypes and classifying tef growing locations for better evaluation and recommendation, considering the impact of uneven rainfall and other yield-limiting factors.