Abstract

Samson Moges*

Carrots (Daucus carota L.) are root vegetables that belong to the Apiaceae family. They are widely cultivated and wellliked. A demonstration was conducted in the Chiro and Gemechi districts of the west Hararghea zone, eastern Ethiopia, for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023). The objective was to showcase potential carrot varieties and assess farmers’ satisfaction levels. The demonstration was conducted on the fields of 12 hosts and 24 follower farmers. Carrot varieties Haramaya-I and Nantes were used for demonstration. During the harvesting stage of the carrots, a field day was conducted with participants and neighboring farmers to create demand and measure farmers’ satisfaction. Farmers identified marketability and high-yielding carrot varieties, disease and pest resistance, uniformity and thickness of the roots, taste, and color as potential selection criteria. Farmers’ satisfaction data was collected from 36 households using structured questionnaires. Yield data was also collected from the demonstration trial. Based on pre-set selection criteria, a ranking system was used to determine satisfaction levels. Out of seven parameters, the Nantes variety scored higher than the Haramaya-I variety in five, while Haramaya-I scored higher than Nantes in two. Generally, Nantes scored 1016 points, and Haramaya-I scored 789 points in the field. This result revealed that the breeder should consider marketability, color, taste, and other critical factors in addition to yield. The Haramaya-I and Nantes varieties were compared for yield, and the results indicate that there is no significant mean difference in yield potential between the varieties (t-value=0.7492).The full package trial plot a statistically significant mean difference compared to the usual farmer practices in both Haramaya I (t-value=3.9722) and Nantes (t-value=3.4789). Based on the mean score of harvesting differences, the plot with the full package showed a higher yield than the plot with usual farmer practices. These results suggest that adopting the full package of appropriate agronomic practices and improved varieties can have a positive impact on yield.