PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY, PREFERENCES AND GENETIC EROSION OF HARARGHE COFFEE (Coffea arabica L.) IN KOMBOLCHA AND DIRE DAWA ADMINISTRATION DISTRICTS, EAST HARAGHE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Coffee is the most important agricultural commodity, which stands second next to oil in terms of international trading in the global market. Crop genetic resources have an important potential value in future breeding programs as well, and therefore need to be conserved. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess farmers’ preference, on farm phenotypic diversity and status of genetic erosion of Hararghe coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in Laga hama and Awale localities in Kombolcha and Dire Dawa respectively. Data were collected for similarity/ dissimilarity index, preference index, principal component analysis (PCA), and genetic erosion, Observational data about farmers’ cultivation, production constraints and utilization of Hararghe coffee cultivars using interview checklist. The result indicated that five genotypes were recorded in both localities. The Sorensen’s similarity index was found to be 57%. Even though the localities are close together, they exhibited variations in genotype distribution. The highest preference index PI (25.60) with preference rank first was recorded for Fandisha genotype, followed by PI (22.50) and rank 2nd for Muyira genotype, PI (21.03) and rank 3rd for Khoriso, PI (19.53) rank 4th for Shekhana, and the least PI (11.28) with rank 5 th was recorded for Danga genotype. The principal component (PC) analysis was used to determine the variation in coffee genotypes and association with their traits. PC1 has got high positive component loading (0.58) from Fd, followed by Mk (0.36), Fk (0.37) and Dk (0.35) genotypes indicating that such genotypes have correlated effect. Likewise, PC1 has got high positive component score from number of secondary branches per tree, SB (0.94) and number of primary branches per tree, PB (0.30) traits indicating that Fandisha and Muyira genotypes was distinguished by their high primary and secondary branches. PC2 has got high positive component loading (0.65) from Sd followed by Fk (0.37) genotypes. Similarly, PC2 has got high positive component loading from PB (0.76), NPT (0.33), and SD (0.25) traits indicating that such genotypes have high performance of such traits. PC3 has got high positive score from Mk (0.41), Dk (0.28), Kd (0.25), Sd (0.26) and Md 90.22). The associated traits with high positive loading were HBW (0.77), PB (0.49) and IL (0.22) indicating that such genotypes: Muyira, Danga, Khoriso and Shekhana were among those genotypes with high hundred bean weight (HBW). The coffee production constraints as suggested by the respondents were lack of improved variety, replacement by other commercial crops like khat, climatic conditions, and land scarcity.