On-farm Demonstration of Improved of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Highlands of Southwestern, Ethiopia

Participatory pre-extension demonstration was taken in Dedo and Bedele woreda, in Jimma and Buno Bedele zone in two kebeles each in 2018 main cropping season. Data were collected 100 plants from the demonstration plots. From this study, the performance of three improved fababean and one local variety collected from the areas serves as a check were tested in 11 farmers demonstration plots in two districts of southwestern Ethiopia. From the agronomic traits includes: Days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), harvest index (%), 1000 seed weight and yield and yield Mean grain yield of the tested varieties ranged from 2200 Kg/ha for local variety, to 4370 Kg/ha for Dosha with overall mean value of 3450 Kg/ha. In addition, the highest agronomic performance was recorded for most agronomic traits. In terms of thousand seed weight, the variety Tumsa (805.80 g) score the highest next to Gora (896.60 g).The farmers preference selection and three development agents, 8 men and 5 women farmers evaluated the trial using plant earliness, biomass, seed size, number of branches per plant, plant height and the disease reaction are used as a criteria to select promising varieties Tumsa (23.00), Dosha (16.94) and Gora (16.83) scored up to three highest values, respectively. The lowest (8.96) was scored for the local variety. From agronomic data at two districts in participation of farmers, Dosha, Gora, Tumsa and local variety fababean varieties were given superior in grain yield respectively. The study also showed that Dosha superior in other agronomic traits except thousand seed weight and harvest index. From the farmer’s preference Tumsa, Dosha, Gora and local variety ranks up to fourth. Therefore, all the three improved varieties with their agronomic packages selected by farmers are recommended for Dedo and Bedele districts Southwestern Ethiopia and similar highland agro ecology.