On-Farm Diversity of Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) Landraces, Use, and the Associated Indigenous Knowledge in Adola Rede District, Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is an important staple crop for more than 20 million people in Ethiopia. Precise ethnobotanical information of intraspecific enset diversity and local knowledge on how farmers maintain, manage, and benefit from enset genetic resources is imperative for the promotion, conservation, and improvement of enset and its farming system. The aim of this study was to identify and document the wealth of indigenous knowledge associated with the distribution, diversity, and management of enset in Adola Rede District. Methods. The study was conducted in Adola Rede District of Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. To identify and document the wealth of indigenous knowledge, the data were collected mainly through individual interviews and observation with 139 farm households and key informant interviews. Results. Thirty-four landraces were identified. The number of landraces cultivated in individual households ranged from 3 to 14 (mean of 6.08 ± 2.17). The farmers distinguish landraces primarily using morphological features such as pseudostem color, midrib color, plant height, and leaf color. Agronomic characteristics such as resistance to disease and pest and maturity time were secondary criteria for the identification of enset landraces in the study area. Enset is mainly used as food (kocho, bulla, and amicho) and source of fiber, and it has also medicinal value for both humans and livestock. Farmers prefer a landrace to the other, for example, Gantichoo for worqee (kocho) and fiber, Adoo for budhaa (bulla), Nimfoo for amicho, and Astaraa for medicinal use. The majority of the informants (74.10%) have got their plant material by multiplying planting material by themselves, exchanging with neighbors (16.50%), and purchasing from the market (9.40%). Conclusion. There was relatively high on-farm enset landrace diversity, and the indigenous people had a long tradition of enset cultivation, conservation, and maintenance of landraces in the district. The information is crucial for developing community-based complementary in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to foster conservation of enset genetic resources and associated indigenous knowledge system.