Three Ethiopian MSc. students, who contributed to ICARDA’s research on multidimensional improvement of grain legumes recently graduated from Ethiopian Universities. Tena Alemu and Asemahegn Mersha graduated from Hawassa University under joint supervision of Jane Wamatu (ICARDA), Adugna Tolera and Mohammed Beyan. Teklu Wegi graduated from Haramaya University under joint supervision of Jane Wamatu, Adugna Tolera and Getachew Animut. The USAID-funded Africa RISING project and the Livestock and Fish CGIAR program jointly supported Tena and Asemahegn while Teklu was entirely supported by Africa RISING.

The students have unlocked key trends and trait relationships across grain legume crops that can inform and further guide crop improvement.

Asemahegn, who evaluated the cultivar-dependent variation in food-feed traits in lentil (Lens culinaris), determined that there are significant genotypic and location variations for grain yield and straw traits in lentil and GL has significant effects. Correlations between grain and straw yields are positive, moderate…