Inventory of on-farm sorghum landrace diversity and climate adaptation in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: implications for sorghum breeding and conservation

Abstract The study was conducted with the aim of inventorying and assessing level sorghum landraces richness, estimating extent patterns phenotypic diversity, identifying race type, predicting suitable areas production using future climate scenarios in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Overall, 358 from 125 independent farmers’ fields 20 districts belonging to four zones Tigray were surveyed. Landraces frequency character states, diversity levels estimated via Margalef’s, Menhinick’s Shannon–Weaver (H′) indices for each zone altitude classes. Suitable cultivation predicted DIVA-GIS. Altogether, 140 distinctly named identified collected. Southern has highest richness (D Mg = 10.74, D Mn 5.0) followed by central 8.54, 3.80). H′ states ranged 0.24 (seed form) 0.95 (rachis branch length). Highest estimate found northwest (H′ 0.71) 0.64). Respectively, 0.70, 0.68, 0.61 lowland, intermediate, highland elevations. In general, lowlands northwest, central, southern are as potential sites germplasm conservation utilization. races durra, bicolor, caudatum, durra-bicolor durra dominant (79%). All currently surveyed many other be under changing scenario. Copies all deposited national gene bank use breeding work. wealth could used improvement programs.