Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Variety Development for Moisture Deficit Areas of Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

Twelve field pea genotypes were evaluated in seven environments in Eastern Amhara in main production season (2010-2012). The objective of this trial was to identify stable and high yielding field pea genotype for production in Eastern Amhara. The trial was conducted using randomized complete block design with three replications. Combined analysis of variance for grain yield revealed that genotypes, environments, and genotype by environment interaction effect were highly significant (P ≤ 0.01). The environments, GEI, and genotypes were accounted for 77.47%, 13.83%, and 4.37%, of the total sum squares, respectively, indicating that field pea grain yield was significantly affected by the changes in the environment, followed by GEI and genotypic effect. The candidate genotype, EH-03-002, showed 14.42% and 44.87% yield advantage over the standard and local checks, respectively. Considering the seven environments data and field performance evaluation during the variety verification trial, the National Variety Releasing Committee has approved the official release of EH-03-002 with the vernacular name of “Yewaginesh” for moisture deficit areas of Wag Lasta and similar agroecologies.