Misidentification by farmers of the crop varieties they grow: lessons from DNA fingerprinting of wheat in Ethiopia

dc.creatorDebello, M.J.
dc.creatorFantaye, K.T.
dc.creatorKilian, A.
dc.creatorYirga, C.
dc.creatorHabte, E.
dc.creatorBeyene, H.
dc.creatorAbeyo, B.
dc.creatorBadebo, A.
dc.creatorErenstein, O.
dc.date2020-08-07T00:15:15Z
dc.date2020-08-07T00:15:15Z
dc.date2020
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-17T20:06:10Z
dc.date.available2023-07-17T20:06:10Z
dc.identifier1932-6203 (Print)
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10883/20932
dc.identifier10.1371/journal.pone.0235484
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorioslatinoamericanos.uchile.cl/handle/2250/7512724
dc.descriptionAccurate identification of crop varieties grown by farmers is crucial, among others, for crop management, food security and varietal development and dissemination purposes. One may expect varietal identification to be more challenging in the context of developing countries where literacy and education are limited and informal seed systems and seed recycling are common. This paper evaluates the extent to which smallholder farmers misidentify their wheat varieties in Ethiopia and explores the associated factors and their implications. The study uses data from a nationally representative wheat growing sample household survey and DNA fingerprinting of seed samples from 3,884 wheat plots in major wheat growing zones of Ethiopia. 28-34% of the farmers correctly identified their wheat varieties. Correct identification was positively associated with farmer education and seed purchases from trusted sources (cooperatives or known farmers) and negatively associated with seed recycling. Farmers' varietal identification thereby is problematic and leads to erroneous results in adoption and impact assessments. DNA fingerprinting can enhance varietal identification but remains mute in the identification of contextual and explanatory factors. Thus, combining household survey and DNA fingerprinting approaches is needed for reliable varietal adoption and impact assessments, and generate useful knowledge to inform policy recommendations related to varietal replacement and seed systems development.
dc.formatPDF
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.relationhttps://openicpsr.org/openicpsr/project/120021/version/V1/view
dc.rightsCIMMYT manages Intellectual Assets as International Public Goods. The user is free to download, print, store and share this work. In case you want to translate or create any other derivative work and share or distribute such translation/derivative work, please contact CIMMYT-Knowledge-Center@cgiar.org indicating the work you want to use and the kind of use you intend; CIMMYT will contact you with the suitable license for that purpose.
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.source7
dc.sourceart. e0235484
dc.source15
dc.sourcePLoS ONE
dc.subjectDNA FINGERPRINTING
dc.subjectWHEAT
dc.subjectVARIETIES
dc.subjectIDENTIFICATION
dc.subjectSMALLHOLDERS
dc.titleMisidentification by farmers of the crop varieties they grow: lessons from DNA fingerprinting of wheat in Ethiopia
dc.typeArticle
dc.coverageETHIOPIA
dc.coverageSan Francisco, CA (USA)


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