Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T16:02:46.428Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

EFFECT OF CULTIVAR, TRADITIONAL CORM PRE-TREATMENT AND WATERING ON SPROUTING AND EARLY GROWTH OF ENSET (Ensete ventricosum) SUCKERS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2014

L. M. KARLSSON*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7043, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden IFM Biology, Division of Ecology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
A. L. DALBATO
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7043, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
T. TAMADO
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, P.O. Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia Department of Plant Sciences, Haramaya University, Haramaya, Ethiopia
Y. MIKIAS
Affiliation:
Areka Research Centre, Areka, Ethiopia Department of Plant and Horticulture, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
*
§Corresponding author. Email: email@lailakarlsson.se

Summary

Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman (Musaceae)] is a multi-purpose and drought-tolerant crop, traditionally grown in Ethiopia. Food from enset has nutritive values similar to potato; it could improve food and livelihood security for many in larger geographical areas. Agronomical advice is needed which requires increased knowledge of management techniques. The purposes of this study were to (i) compare traditional corm pre-treatments when planting for sucker production, (ii) compare all six officially released cultivars regarding sprouting and (iii) investigate the effect of watering on newly buried corms. Emergence rate and number and characteristics of sprouts were recorded. Corms, from 63 two year old plants, were buried in local soil supplied with cow manure in Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia. Emergence was recorded daily. After nine months, including one rainy season, all suckers (totally 4405) were harvested and individually recorded. Regardless of cultivar, minimum time to emergence was 50 days. Sprouts from split parent corms emerged earlier than from entire. Emergence occurred from 100% of corms, number of sprouts was strongly correlated to cultivar: average 28–106. The cultivars responded similarly to corm splitting: the more pieces the corm was split into, the more sprouts per parent corm. Average pseudostem diameter of the seven largest per parent corm: 8–10 cm for all cultivars, leaf length: 3.1–3.7 m, remaining 2700 smaller suckers: diameter 3 cm (SD 1.8). Watering decreased the average time to emergence and levelled out the differences between pre-treatments. The traditional belief is that watering as well as manure on corm cause rotting; manure is therefore usually put on the soil surface. On the contrary, full emergence and unexpected large suckers may be a result of careful soil preparation with manure applied on corm directly; watering resulted in an even emergence and growth. In conclusion, vegetative propagation of enset is efficient, but methods used and agronomical advice can be improved.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abebe, T., Wiersum, K. F. and Bongers, E. (2010). Spatial and temporal variation in crop diversity in agroforestry homegardens of southern Ethiopia. Agroforestry Systems 78:309322.Google Scholar
Abebe, Y., Bogale, A., Hambidge, K. M., Stoecker, B. J., Bailey, K. and Gibson, R. S. (2007). Phytate, zinc, iron, and calcium content of selected raw and prepared foods consumed in rural Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, and implications for bioavailability. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 20:161168.Google Scholar
Atlabachew, M. and Chandravanchi, B. S. (2008). Levels of major, minor and trace elements in commercially available enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) food products (Kocho and Bulla) in Ethiopia. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 21:545552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. E. D. and Simmonds, N. W. (1953). The genus Ensete in Africa. Kew Bulletin 8:405416.Google Scholar
Bekele, A., Diro, M. and Yeshitla, M. (2013). The diversity and associated yield components of enset (Ensete ventricosum) based on its agro-morphological traits from southern Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Science 36:4954.Google Scholar
Bekele, E. and Shigeta, M (2011). Phylogenetic relationships between Ensete and Musa species as revealed by the trnT trnF region of cpDNA. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 58:259269.Google Scholar
Benomar, L., DesRochers, A. and Larocque, G. R. (2012). The effects of spacing on growth, morphology and biomass production and allocation in two hybrid poplar clones growing in the boreal region of Canada. Trees–Structure and Function 26:939949.Google Scholar
Birmeta, G. and Welander, M. (2004). Efficient micropropagation of Ensete ventricosum applying meristem wounding: a three-step protocol. Plant Cell Reports 23:277283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bizuayehu, T. (2008). On Sidama folk identification, naming and classification of cultivated enset (Ensete ventricosum) varieties. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 55:13591370.Google Scholar
Blackstock, K. L., Ingram, J., Burton, R., Brown, K. M. and Slee, B. (2010). Understanding and influencing behaviour change by farmers to improve water quality. Science of The Total Environment 408:56315638.Google Scholar
Brandt, S. A., Spring, A., Hiebsch, C., McCabe, J. T., Tabogie, E., Diro, M., Wolde-Michael, G., Yntiso, G., Shiegeta, M. and Tesfaye, S. (1997). The ‘Tree Against Hunger’: Enset- Based Agricultural Systems in Ethiopia. Washington: American Association for the Advancement of Science.Google Scholar
Cooper, P. J. M. and Coe, R. (2011). Assessing and addressing climate-induced risk in sub-Saharan rainfed agriculture. Experimental Agriculture 47:179184.Google Scholar
Dalbato, A. L. [publ. as: Lagibo, A.] (2000). An overview of population and food production situation in SNNPR. Population Newsletter, Awassa, Ethiopia 4:1013.Google Scholar
Diro, M. (1997). Effect of Propagation Method and Corm Type on Number and Growth of ‘Enset’ (Ensete ventricosum) Suckers. MSc thesis, Alemaya University of Agriculture, School of Graduate Studies, Haramaya, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Diro, M., Gebremariam, S., Zelleke, A. and van Staden, J. (2003). Growth of enset (Ensete ventricosum) suckers under different horticultural practices. South African Journal of Botany 68:430433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elias, E., Morse, S. and Belshaw, D. G. R. (1998). Nitrogen and phosphorus balance of Kindo Koisha farms in southern Ethiopia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 71:93113.Google Scholar
Funte, S., Negesse, T. and Legesse, G. (2010). Feed resources and their management system in Ethiopian highlands: the case of UmbuloWacho watershed in southern Ethiopia. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 12:4756.Google Scholar
Karlsson, L. M., Tamado, T., Dalbato, A. L. and Mikias, Y. (2013a). Seed morphology and germination of Ensete ventricosum (Musaceae). Seed Science and Technology 41:357370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karlsson, L. M., Tamado, T., Dalbato, A. L. and Mikias, Y. (2013b). Early growth and development of Ensete ventricosum (Musaceae) seedlings. Journal of Plant Sciences 1:1117.Google Scholar
Lahmar, R., Bationo, B. A., Lamso, N. D., Guéro, Y. and Tittonell, P. (2012). Tailoring conservation agriculture technologies to West Africa semi-arid zones: building on traditional local practices for soil restoration. Field Crops Research 132:158167.Google Scholar
Meadovs, P. S. (2011). Ecosystem sustainability, climate changes and rural communities. The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences 21:317332.Google Scholar
Mohammed, B., Gabel, M. and Karlsson, L. M. (2013). Nutritive values of the drought tolerant food and fodder crop enset. African Journal of Agricultural Research 8:23262333.Google Scholar
Negash, A. and Niehof, A. (2004). The significance of enset culture and biodiversity for rural household food and livelihood security in southwestern Ethiopia. Agriculture and Human Values 21:6171.Google Scholar
Negash, M., Yirdaw, E. and Luukkanen, O. (2012). Potential of indigenous multistrata agroforests for maintaining native floristic diversity in the south-eastern Rift Valley escarpment, Ethiopia. Agroforestry Systems 85:928.Google Scholar
Nyunja, A. R. O., Onyango, J. C. and Erwin, B. (2009). The Kakamega forest medicinal plant resources and their utilization by the adjacent Luhya community. International Journal of Tropical Medicine 4:8290.Google Scholar
Pijls, L. T. J., Timmer, A. A. M., Wolde-Gebriel, Z. and West, C. E. (1995). Cultivation, preparation and consumption of ensete (Ensete ventricosum) in Ethiopia. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 67:111.Google Scholar
Sanou, J., Bayala, J., Brazié, P. and Teklehaimanot, Z. (2012). Photosynthesis and biomass production by millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and taro (Colocasia esculenta) grown under baobab (Adansonia digitata) and néré (Parkia biglobosa) in an agroforestry parkland system of Burkina Faso (West Africa). Experimental Agriculture 48:283300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
StatSoft, Inc. (2011). STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 10. www.statsoft.com.Google Scholar
Tensaye, A. W., Lindén, B. and Ohlander, L. (1998). Enset farming in Ethiopia. I. Soil nutrient status in Shoa ans Sidamo regions. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 29:193210.Google Scholar
Tesfaye, B. (2008). The enset (Ensete ventricosum) gardens of Sidama: composition, structure and dynamics of a traditional poly-variety system. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 55:13471358.Google Scholar
Tsegaye, A. and Struik, P. C. (2001). Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) kocho yield under different crop establishment methods as compared to yields of other carbohydrate-rich food crops. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 49:8194.Google Scholar
Tsegaye, A. and Struik, P. C. (2003). Growth, radiation use efficiency and yield potential of enset (Ensete ventricosum) at different sites in southern Ethiopia. Annals of Applied Biology 142:7181.Google Scholar
Tsehaye, Y. and Kebebew, F. (2006). Diversity and cultural use of enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) in Bonga in situ conservation site, Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 4:147157.Google Scholar
Zipper, K. (2005). Diversity over time and space in enset landraces (Ensete ventricosum) in Ethiopia. In African Biodiversity Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems, 423438(Eds Huber, B. A., Sinclair, B. J. and Lampe, K.-H.). New York, NY: Springer Science.Google Scholar