RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TEFF, ETHIOPIA’S MOST IMPORTANT CEREAL

AND GIFT TO THE WORLD

Tareke Berhe ( Ph. D )t.berhe@vip.cgnet.com

CIIFAD Forum Seminar, July 23, 2009

OUTLINE

I. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TEFF

II. DIETARY IMPORTANCE OF TEFF

III. PRODUCTION DIFFICULTIES OF TEFF

IV. UNEXPLOITED POTENTIALS & RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

V. WHAT NEXT?

I. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TEFF

TEFF: THE MOST IMPORTANT STAPLE FOOD CROP OF ETHIOPIA

IN ETHIOPIA ALONE:

Over 2.5 metric tons of grain produced/year

Staple food for over 50 million people

TEFF IS THE MAJOR CEREALOF ETHIOPIA COVERING OVER 2.5 MILLION HECTARES/YEAR

TEFF OCCUPIES A LARGE PLACE IN THE GRAIN MARKET

Current price of teff grain in Ethiopia = $700-1000/ton

Current price of teff flour in the USA = $2,990/ton

II. NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF TEFF

MERITS OF TEFF WIDE ADAPTATION: Grows in range of

altitudes, temperatures, soils, water regimes = significant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses

MINIMAL STORAGE PROBLEMS FOOD SECURITY CROP FOR ETHIOPIAN

FARMERS VERY NUTRITIOUS: high in Fe, Ca, and

lysine with good balance of amino acids NO GLUTEN, LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX:

Being developed as a health food in Europe and USA

TEFF ENJARA: ETHIOPIANS’ DAILY BREAD

TEFF STRAW IS A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT: Livestock Feed and for

Construction

III. PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS OF TEFF

PROBLEM # 1 IN TEFF

LOW YIELD

1. ETHIOPIA: National ave. = < 1ton/hectare

Maximum yield = 2.5 tons/ha

2. Holland and USA (Idaho): 1.3 – 2.5 tons/ha

MAIN CAUSESLODGING DUE TO HIGH PLANTING DENSITY

25-50 LBS/ACRE IN ETHIOPIA VS. 2.5 -3.0 LBS/ACRE IN EUROPE AND USA

LONG PEDUNCLE

TEFF RUST (Uromyces sp.)

PROBLEM # 2CULTURAL PRACTICES: All Manual

– Labor Intensive

LAND PREPARATION

WEED CONTROL

HARVESTING

THRESHING

PROBLEM # 3: Politics

► RESTRICTIONS ON MATERIAL TRANSFER

► OPPOSITION TO BIOTECHNOLOGY

► LOW INVESTMENT BY GOVERNMENT

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES/TOOLS/TECHNIQUES UNDER TEST

► REDUCTION OF PLANT DENSITY► USE OF TRANSPLANTING TECHNIQUES► USE OF IRRIGATION FOR OFF-SEASON CROP► USE OF MORE COMPLETE FERTILIZERS WITH

MICRONUTRIENTS► USE OF CONVENTIONAL & NON–

CONVENTIONAL (GYNOGENESIS) BREEDING TO SPEED UP VARIETY DEVELOPMENT

IV. UNEXPLOITED POTENTIALS

AGRONOMY– System of Teff Intensification ( STI )

BREEDING – Conventional and Non-Conventional

MECHANIZATION: Planting, Harvesting, Threshing

UTILIZATION: Cereal Mixtures (e.g., rice or grain amaranth) to Reduce Pressure on Teff

TAREKE BERHE, 1979, SCOTTS BLUFF, NE

HAILU TEFERRA2000, DZ, ETHIOPIA

SPACE IN PLANTING AND IN ROWS, DEBRE ZEIT, 2008

HIGH-TILLERING TRAIT IN TEFF WHEN TRANSPLANTED WITH WIDER

SPACING

FIRST TRIALS, 2008 – Duplication of Earlier Findings

VARIETY SOWING METHOD

PELLETING YIELD (Kg/Ha)

Cross 37 Broadcast None 1,014Broadcast Yes 483

20 cm x 20 cm None 3,39020 cm x 20 cm Yes 5,109

Cross 387 Broadcast None 1,181Broadcast Yes 1,036

20 cm x 20 cm None 4,14220 cm x 20 cm Yes 4,385

YIFRU ( 1998 ) M. Sc. THESIS

Reported yield of 4-5 tons/ha for

non-lodged teff

vs.

2-3 t/ha for lodged teff

SECOND TRIALS, 2009COMPOUND FERTILIZER + SPACING

Variety: DZ-01-974 (3 replications I-III)

I II III TOTAL AVE.YIELD

(KG/HA)*

DAP + UREA 57 49.5 34.2 140.7 46.9 6,700DAP + NP +

Zn 56.6 53.8 60.6 171 57.0 8,143DAP + NP +

Cu 67.6 58.4 40.4 166.4 55.5 7,924DAP + NP +

Zn + Cu 76.2 50.9 53.3 180.4 60.1 8,591SUKUBE SUKUBE + UREA 68.6 61.8 54.1 184.5 61.5 8,786CHECK: NO FERTILIZER 5.3 11.2 3.2 19.7 6.6 938

* YIELD LEVELS NEVER REPORTED BEFORE

PELLETING DAP PROVED EASIER THAN PELLETING TEFF SEEDS

TEFF FERTILIZER POT EXPERIMENTS

IRRIGATED TEFF: OFF-SEASON

NEW TOOL: GYNOGENESIS

GOOD GYNO GENOTYPES NOTED IN THE FIELD

GYNO TEFF EXPERIMENTS - DEBRE ZEIT, 2009

GENOTYPE YIELD (Kg/Ha) DZ-01-354 - C* 1,191

DZ-01-196 -C* 1,240

DZ-01-196 GYNO, P29,S3 2,097

DZ-01-196 GYNO; P28, S1 2,457

DZ-01-196 GYNO, P32, S3 920

GYNO, P35, S1 DZ-01-196 800

MECHANIZATION

UTILIZATION & COMPANION CROPS

GRAIN AMARANTHE NERICA RICE

COMPANION CROPS CAN BE MIXED WITH TEFF TO MAKE ENJARA

V. WHAT NEXT?

PUT ALL PROMISING TECHNOLOGIES TO WORK

FULL TIME IN ETHIOPIA

FULL TIME IN USA

ETHIOPIA:USA – 50:50

POSSIBLE DONORS

McKnight Foundation

Rockefeller Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

AGRA

Sasakawa African Assoc.

BON APPETIT TO EVERYONE