Performance and Farmers' Evaluation of Released Common Bean Varieties in Dawro Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

Dawro zone is one of the least covered areas in agricultural research in Ethiopia. To enhance the agricultural productivity of the area, technologies developed in other areas need to be assessed in the context of Dawro agricultural systems. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess farmers' preference and performance of released common bean varieties before they are disseminated and scaled up to the community. Thirteen released common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties were sown at three locations in Dawro Zone (southwestern Ethiopia) to identify suitable varieties and farmers' preferences for common bean varieties. Data were collected on phenological and other agronomic parameters to evaluate varietal performance. In general, Hawassa Dume, Nasir, Zebra, Dimtu, and Roba-1 were high-yielding varieties at all locations. Participant farmers set a number of selection criteria to identify suitable varieties. They used disease resistance, pod length, pod load, seed size, seed color, and seed yield for selection. Pairwise ranking showed that seed yield was the uppermost selection criterion, followed by pod load and seed color. Hawassa Dume, Nasir, and Dimtu were identified and ranked one to three, respectively. Small-scale grain traders were invited to evaluate the market demand and bean consumers of the study area to evaluate "nifro" (boiled grain) quality of the varieties. Hawassa Dume, Nasir, and Dimtu were preferred for both market demand and nifro quality; Awash Melka for its market demand; and Deme for its good nifro taste. The researcher, farmers, traders, and bean consumers identified and suggested the abovementioned varieties for production in the study area.