Evaluation of midland maize (Zea mays l.) varieties in selected districts of southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was aimed at selecting maize varieties that perform better in midland maize production areas. Seven improved midland maize varieties were tested in Basketo Special district (Motikesa and Sasa Kebeles) and Darashe district, southern Ethiopia. The experiment was done using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Seeds were sown on a plot size of 15 m2(3 m × 5 m) having four rows with a spacing of 75 cm between rows and 25 cm between plants. Combined analysis of variance was conducted after testing the uniformity of error variance. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between varieties for grain yield and other studied traits over locations. Mean separation for grain yield over locations indicated that varieties BH 547 (6851 kg/ha) and BH-546 (6638 kg/ha) gave better grain yield as compared to others. These two varieties gave 41.6% and 39.7% yield advantages over the national (4000 kg/ha) maize average productivity, respectively. Generally, the result revealed that the existence of variation for the characters studied in midland maize varieties, and so, testing of the varieties has paramount importance before large-scale production.

Keywords

• maize
• performance
• yield
• evaluation