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Diversity, use and production of farmers’ varieties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae) in southwestern and northeastern Ethiopia
- Source :
- Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 67:339-356
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Legumes are a critical component of many agricultural systems and a major contributor to global food systems. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most widely grown legume crop in Ethiopia. It is an important source of food, income, and soil fertility management in southwestern (SW) and northeastern (NE) Ethiopia, and used as medicine, fodder, and honeybee forage in the NE. Diversity and use of farmers’ varieties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) bean were investigated in five administrative zones in SW and NE Ethiopia. Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 288 general informants and 48 key informants in five agroecological zones inhabited by four cultural groups. Thirty-nine varieties were identified based on farmers’ naming practices. Varietal richness and diversity were found to be highest in the humid, tepid mid-highlands of Kefa (13) and Bench Maji and Sheka (12). However, farmers in both research areas typically plant only one or two varieties. Interestingly, the number of varieties per household was highest (2.3) in South Wollo Zone of the NE, where only six varieties were found. We find that varieties per household are limited by small landholdings in the SW and varietal richness in the NE. Given these limitations, policies and programs to conserve varietal diversity and increase productivity are more likely to be effective if organized at the community level in the SW and the household level in the NE. Agromorphological and genetic characterization of common bean varieties would facilitate the management and conservation of their diversity as a source of resilience.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Food security
business.industry
Plant Science
Biology
biology.organism_classification
01 natural sciences
Crop
03 medical and health sciences
030104 developmental biology
Agronomy
Fodder
Agriculture
Genetics
Agricultural biodiversity
Species richness
Phaseolus
business
Agronomy and Crop Science
Agroecology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15735109 and 09259864
- Volume :
- 67
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........57c85fa0cab92f8e13b46ae29e25120e