Exploration of barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) accessions for yield and yield components from diverse agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia

Knowing the accession's qualitative and quantitative genetic variability is the prerequisite for the trait's improvement for any barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) improvement programs. This study aimed to investigate the agronomic and yield trait performance. The field experiment was conducted in Gumer for the years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 using the augmented block design with the data of 319 barley genotypes, including nine check entries and using eight blocks in rain-fed conditions. A total of 23 both qualitative and quantitative traits were measured. The chi-square test analysis showed significant genotypic variation for all qualitative traits. The significant differences (p < 0.001) in all the quantitative traits except for plant height, spike length, and harvest index. There was sizeable quantitative variation among the genotypes indicating the need to exploit a high degree of genetic variation through selection. The first four principal component analyses accounted for 64.82% of the total variation and the cluster analysis discriminated the barley into four discrete clusters. The correlation coefficient indicated significant differences among the correlations of the 10 quantitative traits. Furthermore, G6, G214, and G255 for earliness and G182, G126, and G44 for grain yield. Both qualitative and quantitative traits made it possible to locate potential new sources of genetic variation. Certain barley was thought to be possible sources of various agronomic traits, such as drought tolerance. The characterized Ethiopian landraces can be used to improve barley resilience against climate change and associated conditions and are recommended in breeding programs to improve productivity under different breeding objectives.