Evaluation of Chick Pea (Cicerarietinum L.) Varieties for Yield Performance and Adaptability to Southern Ethiopia

The study was carried out on station and on farm in three districts of Wolayta and Hadiya Zones, south region, Ethiopia, to evaluate the chick pea varieties for yield performance and adaptability under researcher and farmer managed conditions and assess farmer’s preferences during 2004 Meher Season. Both on station and on farm trials were laid in randomized complete block design with four replications .Five varieties Arerti, Shasho, habru, chefe and Dz-10-4 were planted on 4.8m2 plots at spacing of 0.1m*0.3m. Twenty farmers from three districts at four villages’were participated in conducting on farm trials with each farmer as a replicate. The varieties Arerti and Habru were selected both by Researchers and farmers because of its large seed size, long pod length, number of pod per plant, earliness in maturity and high yield. Those varieties were superior overall to the standard check across three districtsof four villages’and on stations. The top yielding varieties Arerti and Habru produced 1358.85 kgha-1, 1326.84kgha-1 of grain, 39.2 % and 35.9% more than the standard check (Dz-10-4), respectively at on farm trials. Similarly over two stations 1630.75 kgha-1, 1542.2kgha-1 of grain, 45.6 % and 37.7% more than Dz-10-4 was recorded by those two top yielding varieties. Hence, both on station and on farm trials revealed Arerti and Habru out yielding other varieties which were also ranked by farmers and Researchers as the most preferred varieties’. It is therefore recommended that Arerti and Habru which had higher yields be adapted for cultivation in the study area and similar agro ecological zones of the south Ethiopia. Keywords: adaptation, chickpea varieties, Kabuli, on farm evaluation, yield performanc