Bread Wheat Varietal Development and Release in Southeastern Highlands of Ethiopia

Four improved bread wheat varieties; Mandoyu (WORRAKATTA/PASTOR), Sanate (14F/HAR1685), Obora (UTIQUE96/FLAG-1) and Dambel (AGUILAL/3/PYN/BAU//MILAN) are developed from ICARDA materials and released in 2014 and 2015, respectively for highland and mid altitude areas of Bale and similar agro-ecologies. The new varieties were tested along with three standard checks (Madawalabu, Sofumer and Tusie) and one local check (Hollandi) at three environments in 2011 to 2012 and 2012 to 2013, respectively during main cropping seasons. The two years data of regional variety trial combined over locations and years provide the newly released varieties showed that superior in grain yield performance, stability, and wide adaptation. The four newly released varieties have good protein content, good physical grain quality, resistant to stem rust, moderately susceptible to yellow rust, moderately resistant to septoria leaf blotch and comparable for leaf rust disease with the checks. The variety Mandoyu, Sanate, Obora and Dambal have been demonstrated and are being cultivated by farmers for production purpose. Hence, the cultivation of these newly released improved bread wheat varieties in the highland and mid altitude areas of major wheat growing environments of the country is highly recommended. This new variety given local name Mandoyu, Sanate, Obora and Dambel, respectively