Susceptibility to lodging is a major constraint on teff production in Ethiopia, but efforts to develop lodging-resistant cultivars have not been successful. We studied the mechanical properties of teff culms and associated agro-morphological traits in field experiments with 320 teff accessions at two sites in northwestern Ethiopia during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. The results showed significant variability in both mechanical properties and agro-morphological traits among accessions. Traits contributing to lodging resistance, such as internode diameter, pushing resistance, and base failure moment, were significantly positively correlated with each other and with plant height. Similarly, the correlation of those traits with lodging index was significant and positive. In contrast, tiller number showed a significant negative correlation with lodging index. The peduncle–panicle length, which generally accounted for 59% of the plant height, should be a target when breeding for semi-dwarfism. Root system development, which reached a depth of more than 1 m in tall and 57 cm in dwarf teff accessions, signifies the presence of genetic variabilities for future root lodging studies in teff, and it may also explain why teff performs well in drought-prone areas of Ethiopia. Breeding programs for lodging resistance might focus on accessions with good standing ability (high base failure moment) and introgression of stem strength with a semi-dwarf phenotype. Alternatively, selection for a large internode diameter, increased pushing resistance and base failure moment, and a reduced tiller number should be considered.

Teff is the most strategic cereal crop grown from high rainfall to drought prone areas of Ethiopia, where it covers nearly 30% of the land allotted for cereals. However, its productivity remains very low due to lack of knowledge and research interventions. To investigate the grain yield potential, estimate the genetic parameters, and the diversity, a pot experiment with intensive management and a field experiment with conventional management at two contrasting locations for two seasons using the same 317 genotypes and additional 3 improved cultivars in the field experiment were carried out. The results showed highly significant variation among the genotypes for grain yield, biomass, harvest index, and phenological traits under both experiments. The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP)-adjusted grain yield performance of the genotypes ranged from 4.2 to 8.8 g/plant in the intensive management and 1.8 to 4.3 g/plant in the field growing condition with conventional management. Coefficient of genetic variation, heritability, and expected genetic advance for grain yield were the highest in both experiments. Among the phenological traits, the grain filling period in the intensive growing condition exceptionally showed the highest genetic coefficient of variation and genetic advance. The high grain yield performance and wider range of the harvest index observed under the intensive management condition with moderate to high heritability signifies the genetic potential of teff for further improvement through trait recombination.

The combined application of biochar and fertilizer has become increasingly popular for improving soil quality and crop productivity. However, the reported research results regarding the effects of biochar on soil properties and crop productivity have contradictory findings, indicating the requirement for further scientific research. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a combined application of water hyacinth biochar (WHB) and NPS fertilizer on soil physicochemical properties and wheat yield under deficit irrigation conditions in acidic silty loam soil in Ethiopia. Four different biochar rates (0, 5, 10, and 20 t ha⁻¹), three fertilizer rates (0, 100, and 200 kg NPS ha⁻¹), and two irrigation regimes (50 and 100% of crop requirement) were evaluated to assess soil properties and wheat yields. The results showed that biochar amendment significantly reduced soil bulk density by 15.1–16.7%, and improved soil porosity by 6.8–8.6% and moisture content by 10.3–20.2%. Additionally, the combined application of biochar and fertilizer improved soil pH (0.26–0.87 units), NH₄⁺–N (73.7–144%), NO₃⁻–N (131–637%), and available phosphorus (85.8–427%), compared to the application of fertilizer alone. As a result, wheat dry biomass and grain yield increased by 260 and 173%, respectively. Furthermore, the combined application of WHB and fertilizer resulted in a comparable wheat dry biomass and grain yield even with a 50% reduction of irrigation water. Therefore, WHB has a significant potential to improve soil physicochemical properties and wheat yield when it is applied in combination with fertilizer, and it can reduce the water requirement for wheat production.

Teff is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Improved crop management practices are needed to increase teff productivity and decrease production costs. Here, we used a split–split plot design to evaluate the impacts of different tillage, sowing, and soil compaction practices, and their combinations, on agronomic performance, weed population, lodging, and cost in teff production at the Aba Gerima watershed in northwestern Ethiopia in 2018–2020. Reduced tillage (RT) improved soil moisture, resulting in increased agronomic performance and decreased production costs compared with conventional tillage (CT); however, the weed population was substantially larger with RT than with CT. Row planting (RP) reduced seed cost and lodging but increased sowing and weeding costs compared with broadcast planting (BP). Plant population and leaf area index were substantially greater with BP than with RP during early-stage growth, but this reversed during late-stage growth. Despite labor costs being significantly greater with (WC) compaction than without (NC), little to no differences were observed in the weed population or in agronomic performance. Partial cost–benefit analysis revealed that RT–RP–WC followed by RT–RP–NC was the most economical treatment combination, suggesting that RT–RP–NC could be a labor-effective means of increasing teff production by smallholder farms in Ethiopia.