An agronomic and seed-quality evaluation of noug (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) germplasm in Ethiopia.

Noug (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.), a member of the Compositae family, is grown as an oilseed crop in Ethiopia. The crop grows best on poorly drained, heavy clay soils. This study investigates the genetic variability of agronomic and seed quality characteristics of 241 noug germplasm collections from different parts of Ethiopia evaluated in a field test at Ghinchi, near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1992. The maturity of the noug accessions ranged from 132 to 168 days. Seed oil contents ranged from 39.8 to 46.9% with linoleic acid being the major fatty acid of the oil (76.6% of total fatty acids). The results of this field study indicated that genetic differences for maturity existed among the noug accessions. Oil content variation was continuous, without clear separation of accessions into oil content groups. It is concluded that the genetic variation observed among these accessions could be utilized in a breeding programme to develop high-yielding, well-adapted, high-oil-content noug cultivars for production in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]