Adaptability Evaluation of Bread Wheat (<i>Tritium aestivum</i> L.) Varieties Under Irrigated Conditions in the Upper and Middle Awash Area

Wheat (Triticum spp) is one the most important and strategic cereal crops in Ethiopia, because of its role in food security, import substitution and used as raw material for the agro-processing. Bread wheat is recently cultivated in the lowland irrigated areas of Ethiopia. Despite many improved bread wheat varieties have been released nationally for rainfed areas, the adaptability of these varieties were not identified. To overcome this challenge, adapatabilty evaluation of recently released bread wheat varieties were condudcted to confirm their environmental adaptation across four locations. Systematic growth, yield and yield components, and environmental data were collected and analyzed using standard agronomic and statistical methodologies. The combined analysis of variance indicated that the sixteen tested varieties differed significantly for all traits except for their numbers of kernesl per spike. Variety Boru (4823.5 and 4566.7 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>), Dursa (4352.9 and 3950 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) and Abay (4078.4 and 4433 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) stand out as the highest yielders at Werer and Arage respectively, indicating these varaieteis are best adapted and high yielding next to Ga’ambo-2 (chek) (4352.9 and 4388.3 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) in Afar region. Varaiety Biftu (3339.2 and 2965.2 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>), Dursa (2880.4 and 3122.6 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) and Deka (2779.4 and 3087.5 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) recorded higher gran yield at Jeju and Merti respectively, indicating these varieties were best performing in Oromia region. High combined mean grain yield was recorded from Boru and Dursa variety (3626.22 kgha<sup>-1</sup> and 3563.97 kgha<sup>-1</sup>) following the standard check variety “Gambo-2” (3781.89 kgha<sup>-1</sup>) suggesting Boru and Dursa could be used as a widely adapted durum wheat variety with high grain yield to enhance wheat cultivation in irrigated lowland of Ethipia. The lowest grain yield was recorded in variety Wane (3006.37 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) and Ardi (2368.87 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) suggesting, Wane and Ardi may be less adaptable and low yielder.