Growth Characteristics and Yield Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Coffee (<i>Coffea Arabica L.</i>) Genotypes in Sidama, Southern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the center of origin and has a varied genetic foundation for Arabica coffee, but there is still a lack of yield-competitive enhanced varieties, which is why the average productivity in the country is significantly lower than the global average. The average national productivity is quite low as a result. Ethiopia's pure line variety development program has shown that it is rarely possible to increase yield over 1800–2000 kg/ha through direct selection. This suggests that heterotic hybrids are needed to maximize yield up to 2500–3000 kg/ha. Therefore, in order to find high yielding hybrids, it may be helpful to further assess the performance of the best performing hybrids for yield and growth traits at full bearing stage. Therefore, creating hybrid coffee kinds that are stable, disease-resistant, and high yielding is crucial to closing this gap and increasing coffee productivity. Thus, assessing coffee hybrid genotypes for yield and yield components was the goal of this study. To illustrate the growth and yield characteristics of four promising hybrid genotypes of Arabica coffee, the experiment was carried out at Awada and Leku. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was used to carry out the experiment between 2016 and 2021. Data were gathered on plant height, number of primary and secondary branches, length of the longest primary branch, number of main stem nodes, stem girth, internode length on the main stem, canopy diameter, and yield per hectare. The findings showed that there were statistically significant differences between the growth features. The number of primary branches (52.08 – 58.83), number of secondary branches (148.23 – 179.25), number of major stem nodes (27.96 – 30.66), stem diameter (2.82 – 3.45cm), canopy diameter (199 – 221.77cm), and average length of primary branches (107.00 –116.84cm) are all reported. According to the study's findings, the hybrid 75227x1681 (3491 kg/ha) produced the highest overall yield per hectare, followed by 75227xAngafa (3023kg/ha) cultivated at Awada and 75227X1681 (1437kg/ha) in Leku. There will be a greater probability of obtaining enhanced Arabica coffee hybrid varieties in the south Ethiopian growing environment because the potential hybrid genotypes outperformed the current improved varieties at Awada and Leku. In order to suggest a stable and appropriate hybrid variety for coffee growers in the South, the experiment should be conducted again at various representative trial sites.