Bread wheat is one of the most important cereal crops of the world and a staple food for about one third of the world’s population and is a major cereal crop in Ethiopia. One of the major challenges in improving food security is to develop varieties that are adapted to specific environment and farmers’ needs. Field trials were conducted at two locations, Hitosa (Sero-Anketo kebele) and Limu Bilbilo (Bekoji-Negesso kebele) districts, in Arsi zone of Oromiya regional state, Ethiopia in 2015. The objectives were to identify farmers’ and traders’ preferences and selection criteria and acceptable varieties among the tasted twenty-five bread wheat varieties through farmers’ participation. The experiment was laid out in lattice design with three replications in which farmers participated only in one of the replication for ranking. Farmers and traders identified top seven criteria that are the same at both locations (that is, disease and insect resistance, grain yield, spike size, seed color, tillering capacity, market demand and seed size, except seed weight instead of seed size at Seru-Anketo) for rating of varieties from 1 to 5 scale (1=very poor and 5=excellent). Data analysis was done using SAS and Microsoft Excel. All varieties showed resistant type of infection for the three rusts (Stem, Yellow and Leaf) at Bekoji-Negesso: As all varieties scored <20 ACI. Similarly, at Sero-Anketo, Kakaba, Digelu and Jefferson ranged under MS to S whereas Gassay, Hiddasse, and Mekelle-02 ranged under MS and MR types of infection for SR, respectively. Grain protein was analyzed and Hoggana (14.27%) was found to be the highest. Based on measured trait (rusts resistance) and farmers’ and traders preferences ranking; Bika, Bulluk and TAY for Bekoji-Negeso and Mekelle-4, Ogolcho and TAY for Sero-Anketo were recommended with their full production packages. Therefore, participation of farmers in early breeding program could be one of the approaches as to identify the best variety for specific location. Key words: Direct matrix ranking, grain protein, pairwise ranking matrix, participatory varietal selection (PVS), rust.

Poor storage facilities expose seeds to deterioration, resulting in low seed quality under a prolonged storage time. We compared the performance of five bag types: Two hermetic bags (Super GrainPro bag [SGB] and Purdue Improved Crop Storage bag [PICS]), with three non‐hermetic bags (woven polypropylene bag lined with polyethylene [WPP lined with PE], polypropylene bags [PP], and jute bags) for the storage of faba bean seeds for 24 months. Faba bean seed quality was assessed under ambient conditions after 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of storage. Parameters investigated include seed moisture content, thousand seed weight, germination percentages, vigor index I and II, speed of germination, percentage of insect‐damaged seed, and insect counts. Results indicated that there was a significant (P ≤ 0.01) interaction of bag types and duration for all tested parameters. Hermetic bags and WPP lined with PE maintained germination percentage above 90% during 12 months of storage. The vigor index remained above 1600 mg% for hermetic bags and WPP lined with PE during 12 months of storage. However, non‐hermetic bags exhibited a rapid drop in vigor index beginning from 6 months of storage. Hermetic bags and WPP lined with PE allowed minimal insect breeding and hence decreased the seed damage caused by insects. The present results demonstrated that in addition to the PICS bags and SGB, the WPP lined with PE can be used for short‐period storage for up to 12 months without incurring a significant loss of seed quality. Hence, we recommend the introduction of WPP lined with PE as faba bean seed storage technique under conditions where hermetic bags are inaccessible to resource‐poor farmers.

Uniform stand establishment of wheat is considered one of the most important yield-contributing factors in semi-arid areas. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of seed priming media and priming durations on seed germination, vigor, and yield of bread wheat. The experiment was conducted with a wheat variety, 4 levels of priming media (Distilled water, KNO₃ @0.1%, Mannitol @2%, Salicylic acid @0.06%, and unprimed control), and 2 priming durations (12 and 24 hours) in factorial arrangement using CRD for lab tests and RCBD for field experiment with three replications. Results showed significant (P0.05) for heading date, plant height, thousand seed weight, and hectoliter weight among the tested media and duration but among the growing seasons. Priming with distilled water (93.58%) followed by KNO₃ @0.1% (92.62%) resulted in the highest germination. Vigor indices I was not improved by priming as unprimed control exhibited the highest (1803.80%cm) followed by that of KNO₃ @0.1% (1741.10%cm). The highest Vigor index II (1069%mg) was observed in seeds primed in KNO₃ @0.1% at 24 hours but, it was not significantly different from the unprimed control (989%mg). Priming in KNO₃ @0.1% at 12 hours showed significantly higher fertile spikes m^-2 (487) and yield (51.2 kg ha^-1) as compared to the unprimed control. However, this similar priming media resulted in the lowest yield (40.3 kg ha^-1) at 24 hours. Seed primed in KNO₃ @ 0.1% for 12 hours resulted in a 19% yield increment as compared to the unprimed control. Salicylic acid @ 0.06% was not the desired media for the improvement of seedling vigor, yield, and yield component of wheat in a semi-arid environment. In conclusion, KNO₃ @ 0.1% contributed to the improvement of germination, early seedling establishment, and yield of wheat under moisture-stress conditions.