Genetic Advancement and Variability of Released Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Varieties from 1974–2009 GC in Ethiopia: The efficiency of variety development can be determined with variability and genetic progress of released varieties. The aim of this study was to determine the variability and genetic advancement of common bean varieties. Randomized Completed Block Design was used to evaluate 15 varieties at Koga and Chefa in 2013. Cluster, principal, and biplot analysis including genetic parameter estimation were done following analysis of variance. Significant variation was observed among the varieties, and they are clustered into four groups. Seed color and size were found as an important factors for clustering of the varieties. Hawassa Dume and Nasir have red and small seeded, respectively, and clustered in one group. Similarly, Awash 1 and Awash Melka are both small white and clustered in one group. Hawassa Dume was highly similar to Nasir, and Red Wolayta with Dimitu, while a large distance was recorded between Awash Melka and Haramaya. Deme and Haramaya were found the most divergent and unique among the tested varieties. This is also reflected in biplot drown by principal components 1 and 2, which together accounted for about 82.022. Plant heights, seed weight, days to maturity, and harvest index have the largest contribution to the total variation of the varieties. Most of the traits have a high phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation, heritability, and genetic advance, and selection was effective in the breeding program. The breeding program has brought about 0.27 tonnes of seed yield increment or an annual rate of genetic progress of 0.0077t ha⁻¹ (0.37ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). However, the breeding program should reconsider the breeding procedure as there are some varieties released in the same year with similar genetic potential.

Faba beans are leguminous plants that have gained recognition for their significant contributions to sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation. The experiment was conducted to assess the effect of genotype × environment interaction (GEI) on seed weight stability of faba bean genotypes using 12 genotypes in randomized complete block design with three replications tested at Enewari, Bichena, and Jamma in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The objective of the study is to determine the performance and stability of faba bean genotypes for large seed sizes and comparable seed yield under vertisol areas. The AMMI analyses revealed significant (p < 0.01) differences between genotype and environmental effects as well as genotype‐by‐environment interaction concerning seed yield and seed weight. This indicates the genotypes differently responded to the changes in the test environment or the test environment differentially discriminated the genotypes or both. The analysis of variance for AMMI showed that environment, genotype, and GEI contributed 37%, 26.7%, and 30.4% for seed weight, respectively. The principal components (IPCA 1) and (IPCA 2) explained 54.46% and 20.5% of the interaction, respectively. G4 was identified for their best seed weight with an advantage of 19.9% and 28.1% over the best standard check Hachalu and Dide’a with comparable seed yield. Based on AMMI and ASV stability parameters among the evaluated faba bean genotypes, G4 (EH01078‐4‐3) was the most stable and widely adapted over the studied environments in terms of seed weight and relatively stable and comparable seed yield. Therefore, the identified genotypes G4 (Shewa) were released as new varieties for vertisol areas of the Amhara region and areas with similar agroecology in the country.

Yield is a complex trait influenced by multiple components and their genetic behavior. Therefore, this study was designed to understand the complex nature of yield by uncovering relationships among traits and estimating the genetic parameters of lentil germplasm. One hundred and ninety-two lentil (Lens culinaris) germplasm samples were evaluated at Jamma and Enewari (field experiment) and at Debre Birehan agricultural research center (pot experiment) in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, in 2024 and 2025. An alpha lattice design was used for both set of experiment, and data on 12 agronomic traits were collected. Genetic parameter estimations, correlation, path, principal component and cluster analyses were performed in R. The results revealed substantial phenotypic and genetic variation among the evaluated germplasm, with high broad-sense heritability for flowering, maturity, and seed size traits, and moderate heritability for seeds per plant, plant height, harvest index, and yield. Yield exhibited a strong phenotypic correlation with harvest index (r = 0.78 in field and r = 0.95 in pots), biomass (r = 0.77 in the field and r = 0.78 in pots), seeds per plant (r = 0.42 in the field and r = 0.60 in pots), and podding (r = 0.45 in the field and r = 0.69 in pots). Similarly, genotypic correlations were high with harvest index (r = 0.83 in the field and r = 0.96 in pots), biomass (r = 0.75 in the field and r = 0.80 in pots), seeds per plant (r = 0.0.59 in the field and r = 0.58 in pots), and podding (r = 0.39 in the field and r = 0.68 in pot), and both their direct and indirect effects on yield were significantly high. Therefore, indirect selection through traits such as pods per plant, harvest index, biomass, and seeds per plant would be more effective and reliable for improving seed yield than direct selection for yield itself as this is highly affected by environmental variations.

There is a paucity of available information on lentil ( Lens culinaris Medikus) qualitative traits and their associations with agronomic traits, despite such information being essential for the selection of best genotypes. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate relationship among qualitative and agronomic traits, and to explore the significance of these relationships for lentil breeding programs. One hundred ninety‐two lentil germplasm were evaluated in 2025 at Dogolo and Enewari in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Pot experiment was also undertaken at Debre Berhan Agricultural Research Centre for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025). Alpha lattice experimental design was used and data on 24 agro‐morphological traits were collected. Chi‐square tests, Cramér's V , Spearman's rank correlation, point‐biserial correlation, and principal component analysis were employed to assess relationships and effect sizes among qualitative and agronomic traits. Additionally, Welch's t ‐test and the Welch's ANOVA were used to compare the mean values of agronomic traits across different groups. Large association was observed among seed and flower characters (Cramer ( V ) = 0.61 to 0.76), and also seed with leaf related characters ( V = 0.30 to 0.35) across both experiments. On the other hand, leaf pubescence showed a strong association with days to maturity ( ρ = 0.41–0.53), as well as with seed ( ρ = −0.27 to −0.35) and pod ( ρ = −0.23 to −0.35) development across both experiments. Mean comparison also showed that germplasm with medium leaf pubescence tend to have longer time to mature while producing fewer seeds and pods per plant compared to those with absent or slightly dense pubescence. Seed pigmentation pattern, cotyledon and flower color also showed a larger effect size on the phenology, seed size and yield traits where highly pigmented type tended to mature earlier and produce smaller seeds but showed improved yield performance. Overall, this study demonstrates that strong associations exist between several qualitative and agronomic traits, which provide valuable insights for breeders in the selection of desirable traits for adaptation and variety development, and also offer a useful basis for further studies on linkage analysis, association mapping, underlying molecular mechanisms controlling those traits in diverse lentil germplasm.