Yield Performance and Adoption of Released Sorghum Varieties in Ethiopia

Sorghum national average productivity in Ethiopia is 2.1 tons/ha which is far below the global average of 3.2 tons/ha due to the problem of drought, striga, insect pest (stalk borer, midge, and shoot fly),diseases (anthracnose and smut), soil fertility decline, inadequate adoption of  existing improved varieties, lack of high yielding and good quality sorghum varieties. The Ethiopian government is pursuing a strategy of improving Sorghum productivity primarily through agricultural intensification, involving an increased use of inputs, including seeds of improved  crop varieties and involved sorghum plant breeding since 1976 with different objectives and released many improved sorghum varities. However the yield performance, adoption intensity and adoption rate of the released sorghum varieties at regional and national level were not well studied.