Frost Resistance in Indigenous Barley (Hordeulll Vulgare L.) Land Races Cul Tiv Ated At Different Altitudinal Ranges in Ethiopia
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Date
2001-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Physiological investigations were made on 25 barley (Hordelllll vulgare L.) landraces and
acceSSIOns to screen for fi'ost resistance. Samples were collected fi'om three sites, in Amhara
administrative rcgion, north Wolo and Tigrai administrative region, south and east Tigrai (north
Ethiopia) in November 1999. Experimental work was conducted fi'om January to March after the
seedlings have been grown for about a month in an open field at the Science Campus, Addis
Ababa University. Accessions fi'om mCR were included for altitude ranges from which field
collections were not made. Etlmobotanical study was also conducted in order to get infOimation
on the indigenous practices that may be enabling fanners to continue barley cultivation in fi'ost
prevailing areas.
In the surveyed areas, at least half of the fatmlands of the peasant fanners were prepared for
barley cultivation during the main rainy season, the rest being for legumes as well as wheat. The
interviewees indicated enviroillnental stresses such as insufficient rainfall, low soil fertility and
fi'ost effect as main limiting factors of barley production. They also responded that none of them
had ever practiced selection of barley for resistance to fi·ost. However, early maturing barley
types are cultivated in higher altitudes when there is scarcity ofrainfall, which also escape severe
fi·ost. The late bariey landraces were neglected by the fatmers due to the unreliable rainfall. The
ethnobotanical investigation indicated that barley is used as a major food grain alone or in
combination with other cereals utilized in different forms of foodstuffs. Moreover, it has both
religious and cultural values.
A total of 25 samples were evaluated using conductivity and chlorophyll a fluorescence methods.
Based on membrane stability and fluorescence studies, the potential survival temperature of the samples rangcd from -6.48 °C to -8.64 °C. Barley landraces from Abune-Yosef, Smp3
(Tedowasha) and Smp13 (Awarye), which were collected from altitudes of 3270 and 3300m as\.
as well as accessions AccS (Kokufa) and Acc2 (Chellka) from Bale altitude of2430m and l6S0m
as\., respectivel y were found to be relatively the most frost resistant in both methods. Samples
Smp21 (Saeda-Shewa) from Tsibet-Embahasti altitude of3100m as\. as well as Acc\3 from Arsi
altitude of 2800m as\. were found to be relatively the most susceptible in conductivity and
fluorescence analysis methods, respectively. The study showed that -5°C (using conductivity
method) and -4 °C (using fluorescence analysis) were the highest sub-zero temperatures at which
the samples could be differentiated easily. Altitude of site of sample collection had a slight
positive correlation with fi'ost resistance. The two methods had consistency and showed
variations among the samples and are thus recommended for screening barley landraces and
accessions. Fluorescence analysis was found to be a more sensitive method.
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Biology