PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF ENSET (Ensete ventricosum) WELW. CHEESMAN LANDRACES IN KOFELE WOREDA, WEST ARSI ZONE, ETHIOPIA ETHNOBOTANIC APPROACH.

<strong>ABSTRACT</strong>: Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman is a major multi-purpose crop, which has been identified as the center of origin and diversity of enset in Ethiopia. The botanical parts of enset are utilized for different purposes in most of the south western parts of Ethiopia including kofele woreda. In Kofele Woreda, Enset cultivation and conservation practices were highly linked with indigenous knowledge that was transferred from past generation orally and practically. The main objective of this study was to address the status and extent of enset production and conservation, to identify the landraces in their local languages, to document the traditional instruments used for processing and to find out the factors that threaten production status. The study was conducted in six kebeles that were purposefully selected based on agro-ecological zone division and enset cultivation potential among 41 kebeles of the woreda, accordingly 133 households were used for this study. The data were collected using open and close ended and questionnaires, field observation, focus group discussion and key informant elders interview. Then the data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. The study came up with 33 enset landraces diversity with their lacal names and among the landraces the commonly cultivated landraces were Gantichaa, Birraa, Caccoo, Uwishoo, Hanqudhaa, Adoo, Maaldayi and Munduraaree. They were preferred based on ethno botanical preference ranking applied to 4 key informants to identify most popular landraces in the study sites. The landraces were used for multi purposes like food, construction, medicine, rope, umbrella, forage, fence, economy and shade for others like coffee. In addition to this, there was also specific enset which was cultivated only for medicinal value of cows to discharge placenta. It was locally named as Bootatee. The landraces were affected by threats like prolonged period of maturation, land scarcity, climate change, pest cides, bacterial wilt, negative attitudes and lack of interest. Traditional instruments were documented in their local language as Meetaa, Sissaa/Sissichoo, Ceekuu, Qottoo, and Haamtuu for processing. Further study should be required to conserve genetic diversity of enset.