On-farm Diversity, Use Pattern and Conservation of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) Genetic Resources in Southern Ethiopia

Background: Enset is an important source of food for millions and consumed as a staple or co-staple food crop mainly in southern parts of the Ethiopia. Large numbers of enset landraces exist in different administrative zones of Ethiopia with a wide range of altitude. However, limited information is available on the diversity, their distribution and utilization pattern comparatively to the diverse ethno-linguistic as well as socio-cultural communities of the country. Hence, this study was devised to explore and document richness of farmers’ tradition and practice on diversity and distribution of enset landraces on farm-level and selection pattern for different purposes in regarding to its production, utilization and conservation of enset genetic resources. Methods: : The study was conducted in four major enset growing administrative zones of Ethiopia namely, Hadiya, Kembata-Tembaro, Gurage and Silte. A total of 240 farm households were surveyed using individual interviews, key informants interviews, focus group discussions and direct on-farm field observations. Results: A total of 282 farmer-named landraces have been identified, with a range from 2 to 32 on individual homegarden. The largest numbers of landraces was found in the Hadiya Zone (86); while the lowest was scored in the Silte Zone (57). The Shannon diversity index (H') ranged from 3.73 (Silte) to 3.96 (Hadiya). Similarly, landraces revealed a very narrow range of variances in the Simpson’s 1-D diversity index, and it ranged from 0.963 (Silte) to 0.978 (Hadiya). Likewise, the similarity index ranged from 0.24 to 0.73 sharing 16-47 landraces in common. Of the 282 landraces, 210 (74.5%) were recorded in more than one zones; whereas, 72 (25.5%) had a narrow distribution and were restricted to single zone. Conclusions: : Farmers have established long term practices and experiences in cultivation, utilization and conservation of a diverse group of enset landraces to fill their domestic purposes in each zone. Therefore, in order to facilitate on-farm conservation as well as sustainable utilization of the enset genetic resources, farmers need to be supported by different stakeholders for all their worth, and also in improvement programs. In addition to this, to clarify the exact nature of synonyms and to see if they are duplicates molecular analysis would be helpful and recommended as a follow-up work.