Evaluation of Open-Pollinated Maize Varieties for Adaptability and Productivity in Golohajo, Somali Region, Ethiopia

Evaluation of Open-Pollinated Maize Varieties for Adaptability and Productivity in Golohajo, Somali Region, Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Evaluation of Open-Pollinated Maize Varieties for Adaptability and Productivity in Golohajo, Somali Region, Ethiopia Abdi Husen Meydane, Mohamed Abdurahman Ismail This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6464531/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the major cereal crops and a primary source of energy in the human diet. However, its production in the Somali region is constrained by several challenges, particularly the lack of improved maize varieties, mainly due to limited access to production inputs. To address this issue, a field experiment was conducted during the 2023 cropping season at Gursum Woreda, SRS, Ethiopia, at the Fafan Research Center. The objective was to evaluate the performance and yield potential of open-pollinated maize (Zea mays L.) varieties in the study area.Three improved maize varieties were tested using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were collected on phenological traits, growth parameters, and yield and yield components. The seeds were sown in plots measuring 22.5 m² (5 m length × 4.5 m width) with four rows per plot, following appropriate spacing. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the varieties for all measured parameters, except for plant height. The earliest days to maturity, tasseling, and silking were recorded for the variety Afan-qalo (122.3, 62.33, and 67.33 days, respectively), while the latest were observed for the variety Raare-1. Afan-qalo also produced the highest number of ears per plant (1.333) and the longest ear length (30.40 cm). Additionally, Afan-qalo recorded the highest thousand seed weight (306.7 g), grain yield (284.0 Qt/ha), and biomass yield (49.08 Qt/ha). Based on these results, the Afan-qalo variety is recommended for sustainable maize production in the study area. Further research should be conducted with additional maize varieties, across different locations and seasons, to enhance maize productivity in this and similar agro-ecological regions. Improved maize OPV yield performance variety evaluation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 06 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 05 May, 2025 Editor invited by journal 28 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 26 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 16 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6464531","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":451990059,"identity":"67f22aff-57d8-4e82-8c20-ff4126bdbbdb","order_by":0,"name":"Abdi Husen Meydane","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACCSDm4WdvPgBiyxCtRU6y51gCiM1DtBZjgxk5BiAOYS267T2GN37usEncIJHz+dWNGgseBvbDRzfg02J25oyxZe+ZtMTtPG+3WeccAzqMJy3tBl4tN3LMJHjbDifubM/dZpzDBtQiwWOGX8v9N2aSf9v+J244kPPMOOcfMVpu8JhJ87YdMDY4kcP8OLeNGC1n0oqtZduSQYFsxpzbJ8HDRtAvxw9vvPm2zQ4UlY8/53yrk+NnP3wMrxYGBg4DGItNAkziVw4C7A9gLOYPhFWPglEwCkbBSAQA+aBLLwHXP7YAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Somali regional livestock and agricultural research institute","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abdi","middleName":"Husen","lastName":"Meydane","suffix":""},{"id":451990060,"identity":"b4c0f7e4-a409-4968-84ed-030acc043169","order_by":1,"name":"Mohamed Abdurahman Ismail","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Somali regional livestock and agricultural research institute","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohamed","middleName":"Abdurahman","lastName":"Ismail","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-16 14:38:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6464531/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6464531/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82230052,"identity":"d7e85e28-4bca-4153-bb56-b8a9eb2a4844","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-08 05:41:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":403817,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"EvaluationofOpenpollinatedmaize.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6464531/v1_covered_36e931e1-0b7b-4403-96ee-344fe2535edd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Evaluation of Open-Pollinated Maize Varieties for Adaptability and Productivity in Golohajo, Somali Region, Ethiopia","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-agriculture","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Agriculture](https://www.springer.com/journal/44279)","snPcode":"44279","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44279/3","title":"Discover Agriculture","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Improved maize, OPV, yield performance, variety evaluation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6464531/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6464531/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the major cereal crops and a primary source of energy in the human diet. However, its production in the Somali region is constrained by several challenges, particularly the lack of improved maize varieties, mainly due to limited access to production inputs. To address this issue, a field experiment was conducted during the 2023 cropping season at Gursum Woreda, SRS, Ethiopia, at the Fafan Research Center. The objective was to evaluate the performance and yield potential of open-pollinated maize (Zea mays L.) varieties in the study area.Three improved maize varieties were tested using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were collected on phenological traits, growth parameters, and yield and yield components. The seeds were sown in plots measuring 22.5 m² (5 m length × 4.5 m width) with four rows per plot, following appropriate spacing. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the varieties for all measured parameters, except for plant height. 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