Registration of Pawe-01 and Pawe-02 Released Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merrill) Varieties

Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merrill) is an essential crop in Ethiopia, valued for its role in food production, animal feed, soil fertility improvement, and industrial applications. Despite its growing importance, national average yields remain lower than the global standard due to biotic and abiotic stresses, limited genetic diversity, and the declining potential of released varieties. To address these challenges, the Pawe Agricultural Research Center has introduced and tested various soybean germplasms and commercial varieties from Brazil, the United States, Malawi, and Nigeria since 2010Soybean National variety Adaptation trial comprising of 5 varieties namely; PB12-2, PB12-3, and PB12-9 along with Belessa-95 and Wegayen as a standard check were evaluated at Pawe in 2013 and at Pawe, Humera, Jimma, Assosa, Sirinka and Areka in 2014. Based on the data generated in 2013 and 2014 testing seasons, two promising candidate varieties namely PB12-2 and PB12-3 were selected for their higher grain yield, Number of branches and effective nodules per plant and for other important characters to be verified and evaluated in 2015 cropping season. After extensive multi-location trials, these varieties were officially registered as "Pawe-01" and "Pawe-02" and are now under production in key soybean-growing regions of Ethiopia. Their superior traits make them promising options for enhancing soybean productivity and sustainability in the country.