Adaptability evaluation of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) genotypes in moisture-stress areas of Somali Region, Ethiopia

Finger millet is a drought-tolerant and nutritious cereal crop grown in semi-arid areas, especially in Africa and Asia. However, due to a lack of improved variety, the grain yield of the crop at the farmer’s field is lower than in research centers. Therefore, this field experiment aimed to compare the yield of eleven finger millet varieties in the Kebribeyah and Awbare districts in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. The experiment used a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The analysis of variance was computed for eight traits for each location, and the result revealed the presence of significant variability among varieties. However, there was no significant interaction between variety and location for most yield and yield-related traits. In both locations, the results of the analysis of variance results revealed that there was a highly significant difference (p < 0.01) among varieties for days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, thousand seed weight, grain yield, and biomass yield, but no significant difference was between the varieties for the number of tillers and traits of the harvest index (not in Awbare). The mean grain yield varied from 1005.0 to 2583.3 kg ha⁻¹ and 950.0 to 2266.7 kg ha⁻¹ among the tested varieties in Kebribeyah and Awbare, respectively. Meba and Tessema had the highest mean grain yield and related traits in both locations. It showed that these varieties have superior performance and suitability in both locations. Therefore, these varieties are recommended for Kebribeyah and Awebare and areas with similar agro-ecologies.