Chickpea (cicer Arietinum L.) Landrace Diversity In Ethiopia

This study was conducted on chickpea growing in farmers’ fields with the help of farmers’rnknowledge. The main focus of the field study was the main production areas of Ethiopia thatrninclude areas in 32 districts distributed in five regions (Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, SouthernrnNations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) and Addis Ababa) during 2014-2015 croppingrnseason. The main objective of this study was to assess the diversity of chickpea landraces and tornknow the current status in Ethiopia in addition to ethnobotanical value of the crop. The fieldrnstudy was carried out between November 2014- Feburary 2015. The field data were collected byrnusing purposive sampling and simple random observation technique by researcher fromrnfarmers’ fields, threshing ground, home gardens, store and market places. Ethnobotanical datarncollections were semi-structured interview, field observation, guided field walk and marketrnsurvey. Descriptive statistics informant consensus and simple preference ranking were employedrnto analysis data’s. The findings are presented in the form of charts, tables, graphs and words. Arntotal of 41chickpea landrace seed samples and 27 voucher specimens were collected, then dried andrnstored in National Herbarium (ETH) of Addis Ababa University. Chickpea phenotypic diversityrnwas recorded on different flower and seed colors, anthocyanin content in the leaf and stem,rnaverage number of pods per plant, number of primary branches per plant and number of leafletsrnper leaf. The most frequently reported food recipes were SHIRO WET, KIK WET next to NIFRO and KOLO,rnbesides agroecological and market value of the crop. The observed variation might have resultedrnfrom environmental factors including precipitation, temperature, soil characteristics,rnphotoperiod and genetic variation as influenced by the diversity in socio-cultural factors of thernareas studied. Therefore, germplasm conservation, education, resources and further researchrnneeded in order to maintain the landrace diversity of chickpea.rnKey words: Chickpea landraces, Ethiopia, diversity, farmers’ knowledge, cultural practices

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