One hundred and twenty tef Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter, germplasm lines from eight regions of Ethiopia were field evaluated in two randomized complete blocks at Debre Zeit and Melkassa during the 1995/96, and at Debre Zeit and Alem Tena during the 1996/97 main seasons. The objectives were to assess the extent and pattern of their diversity with respect to 17 pheno-morphic and agronomic traits, and to obtain an insight into the broad sense heritability (H) and genetic advance (GA) expectations of the various traits. Discernible (p < or = 0.05) variability among regions and among genotypes within regions were observed in seven and nine of the traits, respectively. In the combined analysis of variance over environments, genotypes showed substantial (p < or = 0.05) variation in all traits, and genotypes and environments interacted significantly on nine of the traits. The phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation varied in that order from about 3% for days to maturity to 28% for grain yield/plant, and from less than 2% for days to maturity to 15% for number of fertile tillers/plant. Estimates of H were lowest for shoot phytomass/plant (17%) and highest for panicle length (75%). The minimum GA expectations were for days to maturity (2%) and the maximum was for number of fertile tillers/plant (23%). About 67% of the gross phenotypic diversity in the germplasm was explained on the basis of four principal components (PCs). Up to 28% of the variance extracted by the first PC was due mainly to variations in the second and first basal culm internode diameters, culm and panicle length, days to panicle emergence, and number of panicle branches and fertile tillers/plant. Largely variations in the length of the two basal culm internodes and grain yield/plant contributed to 19% of the whole variance accounted for by the second PC. Generally, the study showed that there is ample genetic variation in the genotypes evaluated and this presents a valuable base for use in the improvement work.

The genetic improvement of the Ethiopian cereal, tef, Erugrostis ref (Zucc.) Trotter, depends upon the variability in the indigenous germplasm. A bi‐replicated randomized complete block field experiment was, therefore, carried out at Debre Zeit and Alem Tena in Ethiopia during the 1996 main season to study the pheno‐morphic and agronomic trait diversity in 320 tef germplasm lines. All of the 17 traits assessed showed substantial (p ≤0.001) variation among the lines. Genotypes and locations interacted significantly (p ≤0.05) on 11 of the traits. At about 50% similarity level, the tef lines grouped into six major clusters of nine to 243 lines. Five principal components (PCs) extracted about 71% of the entire variation of the lines. About 28% of the total variance explained by the first PC was due chiefly to variation in main shoot culm length, diameters of the two basal culm internodes, panicle length and grain yield/panicle. About 16% of the whole variance explained by the second PC originated mainly from variation in the length of the first and second basal culm internodes, grain yield/plant, and peduncle length. The third PC accounting for about 12% of the entire variance resulted largely from variation in harvest index and shoot phytomass yield/plant. Across traits, the phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation varied in that order from about 2% for grain yield/panicle to 58% for number of fertile tillers/plant, and from less than 1% for diameters of the two basal culm internodes and grain yield/panicle to 35% for panicle length. Estimates of broad sense heritability and genetic advance (as ratio of the mean) were highest for panicle length (71%) and number of fertile tillers/plant (21%), respectively. But both of these were lowest for the second basal culm internode diameter (1%). Overall, the study confirmed that tef is a highly versatile crop with broad trait diversity in the germplasm, and this offers ample opportunities for improvement through breeding.

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