Browsing by Author "Woldegebriel, Asaminew"

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    Ethnobotany and Morphological Trait Analyses of Enset Plant Along With Evaluation of Farmers’ Propagation Practice for the Wild Relative in Kaffa Zone, Southwest Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2019-06-06) Woldegebriel, Asaminew; Demissew, Sebsebe (Professor); Wondimu, Tigist (PhD)
    Ensete ventricosum ((Welw.) Cheesman, Musaceae) is a multipurpose plant cultivated in Ethiopia. This study was conducted in Decha, Chena and Gimbo districts (Kaffa zone) to document morphological diversity, qualities, threats, propagation and management practices along with testing the propagation performance of wild Enset relatives. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select study sites and the households, respectively. Data were collected from 120 Enset farms through interview, observation, and field experiment. Morphological traits were recorded for each landrace and wild relative. Twelve treatment combinations in three replicates were tested. Microsoft Excel 2010, R 3.4.3 and SAS programs were used for data analysis. Two wild Enset relatives and 52 cultivated Enset landraces were identified. Wild Enset relatives were inedible (bitter corm tastes and thought to have black kocho) and fast growing (mean maturity age = 4.34 years) on which the pest and disease attacks were not observed. However, over leaf utilization, deforestation, and lack of conservation interest might have contributed to the scarcity. They were uniquely observed with wider mean size (0.78 + 0.34 to 0.86 + 0.06 meter) and deep green color of leaf. Cultivated Enset landraces were scaled as low, moderate and high for their uses and agromorphological qualities. Though poor performance was observed, the field experiment evidenced that the propagation practice of Enset growers is applicable to the wild relatives. Therefore, the previously reported wild Enset reproduction (via seed) can be assisted by asexual propagation. Adopting the best traits will contribute to the conservation of Enset plant.