Evaluation of Improved Varieties of Haricot Bean in West Belessa, Northwest Ethiopia

Haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) is one of the most important food legumes of Ethiopia and it is considered as the main cash crop and the least expensive source of protein for the farmers in many lowlands and mid altitude of the country. Low production and productivity, which is mainly associated with lack of access for improved varieties, was one of the major problems. Ten haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) varieties and one local check were evaluated in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons at the Arbaya experimental station of University of Gondar, West Belessa in northwest Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of varieties in the study area. The trial was laid out in the randomized complete block design with three replications. Combined analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant variability among varieties for all the parameters studied such as number of pods/plant, number of seeds/pod, plant height, seed yield, total biomass and 1000 seed weight. The varieties Nasir and Dimtu were found to be high yielding varieties with mean seed yield levels of 2866.8 and 2709.3 kg ha-1, respectively. These two varieties have a respective yield advantage of 331.9 and 313.7 % over the local check. Therefore these two varieties are recommended for future use in the study area and similar environments.