Participatory On-Farm Variety Selection of Improved Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) Varieties in North Western Amhara Region of Ethiopia

Participatory variety selection (PVS) was conducted to select varieties of improved finger millet with the participation of farmers and their selection criteria. Eight varieties (Necho, Degu, Gute, Wama, Dibate, Mecha, Bareda and Farmers local) were evaluated at Adet, Merawi and Finoteselam in West Gojam, North West Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted using a RCBD design with three replications at one farmer’s field in each site in the 2014 (main cropping season). The varieties were scored using the matrix ranking method based on the farmers’ selection criteria. Variability for yield and other agronomic traits were also estimated. The Combined Anova results revealed that the highest yields were recorded from Wama (2449.5kg/ha) and Mecha (2368.2kg/ha), while the lowest yield was recorded from Dibate (1660.6kg/ha). Significant variation was recorded among genotypes for various agronomic traits. In general, the results indicated that there is good scope for crop diversity improvement through participatory varietal selection. In conclusion, participatory variety selection is a powerful way of involving farmers in the selection and dissemination of varieties that are adapted to their needs, system and environments. Keywords: Participatory variety selection, Finger millet, Eliusine coracana, Farmers’ preference, Varieties.