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Evaluation and Demonstration of Cassava Varieties and its Product via Promotional Workshop under Irrigated Condition of Middle Awash, Afar, Ethiopia

Yitages Kuma, Tesfaye Tadesse

Cassava production is popular in Africa due to its low water requirement, which is recently adapted in Afar region that characterized by low availability of moisture. Demonstration was not done to familiarize the crop with agro pastorals in the area. Therefore, the experiment was carried out at WARC, Bedulale and Kedigadora kebeles in 2014 cropping season using two released cassava varieties namely Qulle and kelo planted on double observational plots that arranged as RCBD with two replications at each location. Practical training on product development and end product test were accomplished for selected agro pastorals of Amibara districts through promotional workshop. Storage root yield results of the experiment showed that there was highly significant difference (P<0.01) between the two cassava varieties as, Variety Kello gave significantly higher average storage root diameter (2.25 cm) and average root length (16.65 cm), average root number (43.36%), unmarketable root yield (24.67%), marketable root number (71.03%), total root number (43.09%) and total root yield (18.43%) than variety Qulle. Combined analysis of variance for each location also showed the same result. Varieties were non-significant at the specified level of significance for total root yield at Werer agricultural research center and Kadigadora but they were found to be significant at Wedulale. Similarly, the varieties were non-significant at the specified level of significance for average root diameter and number, unmarketable and total root number at WARC and Wedulale but, they were found to be significant at Kadigadora. Agro pastorals were provided and consumed eight different kinds of cassava based meals namely: 1) Cassava bread, 2) Cassava chechebsa, 3) Cassava cookies, 4) Cassava cheeps and biscuits, 5) Wet from Cassava leaves, 6) Cassava enjera 7) Boiled cassava root, 8) Cassava potage. After testing food, discussion with Agro pastorals about the crop, its production and food test was done. They became interested to grow cassava and happy with the demonstration and call it “Me’e” meaning best in Afar language. Thus it, cassava production and utilization are suggested to be increased all over the tested locations and areas with similar agro ecologies in the region.