Characterization and Evaluation of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) for Yield and Related Traits in Asosa Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia

Bambara groundnut, a future emerging legume, is usually known as poor man’s crop or “women’s crop” and newly noted for new millennium. In this context, field experiment was conducted during 2019/20 cropping season at Sonka testing site of Asosa zone in northwestern Ethiopia with objective to estimate the variability groundnut genotypes respect important quantitative qualitative traits. Treatments consisted 20 accessions collected from five distracts Benishangul Gumuz province Ethiopia. The treatments were laid out randomized block design three replications. All characteristics recorded showed different modalities frequencies vegetative stage 70.12% fully expanded leaflet colour, 74.26% oval terminal shape, 76.24% petiole green 78.22% stem 88.27% sparse hair on their stems, 70.41% spreading types, 81.33% rounded base point top, 90.11% yellowish brown pods harvest, 90.06% shaped seeds. With traits, AMN/04/013, AMN/04/014, AMN/04/015, AMN/04/019, AMN/04/020 gave relatively higher grain yield (>2000 kg/ha) highest genotype AMN/04/016. Thus, these better adaptation tested location. Higher correlation values observed days maturity, plant height, number stems per plant, seed pod, HSW, indicating that traits are very be used selection improvement. Agronomic morphological evaluations have provided more accurate estimation genetic diversity, raw material breeding. general, study enabled determine how influential direct improve genotypes.