Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006
Richard J. Roseberg, Brian A. Charlton 1, Steve Norberg 2, and John Kugler 3
Introduction
There are times when forage producers desire a quick-growing, high quality
annual forage in mid summer in situations such as: less-than full season irrigation water
supply; need for an emergency crop due to crop failure, or forage rotation crop between
alfalfa stands. Currently there a few good options in these situations. Teff is a warm
season annual grass that can produce good quality forage during a short summer time
frame, and thus has the potential to be a viable alternative in such situations. Starting in
2003, we have grown teff in quasi-commercial fields and small plot research trials at the
Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center (KBREC), but it has become clear that
ongoing research is needed to understand the optimum crop production requirements for
this new crop.
Teff (Eragrostis tef [Zucc.], Poaceae) is a C4 annual tropical grass. Teff is
traditionally harvested for grain in Ethiopia, where it was first domesticated between
4000–1000 BC. Teff flour is preferred in the production of enjera, a major food staple in
Ethiopia. Teff is grown on a limited basis for livestock forage in other parts of Africa,
India, Australia and South America. In the US, small acreages of teff are grown for grain
production and sold to Ethiopian restaurants throughout the country. Since the popular
1
Associate Professor and Senior Faculty Research Assistant, respectively, Klamath Basin Research &
Extension Center, Klamath Falls, OR.
2
Malheur County Extension Agent, Ontario OR.
3
Adams County Extension Agent, Washington State University, Ritzville, WA.
Acknowledgements: The authors thank Hankins Seed Co., Bonanza, OR, and Van Leeuwen Seed Co.,
Halsey, OR for large quantities of seed donated in 2005 and 2006 for quasi-commercial field observations.
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Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 31
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
press article describing our early efforts was published (Zenk, 2005), many growers, hay
buyers, seed companies, and research/extension faculty at other universities have begun
studying, growing, or buying this new crop. While our interest has been primarily as a
forage, teff’s traditional use in food has also received renewed interest due to its very low
levels of gluten. Approximately 1 million Americans suffer from Celiac (gluten
sensitivity) and Teff may provide a niche for meeting these dietary requirements as part
of a gluten-free food source.
For a more detailed discussion about teff’s history, characteristics, and uses, as
well as our early experiences and experiments with this new crop, please refer to our
2005 annual report (Roseberg et al., 2006).
Objectives
Much of the teff available in commerce are common landraces, not released
varieties, and thus have varying degrees of uniformity and unknown performance.
Because several brands/varieties have been marketed in recent years, we realized that a
controlled comparison of these commercial seed types was necessary to better understand
the genetic diversity and to better advise growers on seed choices. The objective of this
study was to evaluate six seed brands or varieties under three growing environments
representing a range of PNW forage production regions.
Procedures
The three locations were agriculture research stations operated by Oregon State
University and Washington State University near Klamath Falls, OR, Ontario, OR, and
Othello, WA. Some characteristics of the three sites are shown in Table 1. The teff seed
brands tested in this experiment were ‘Dessie’ and ‘Pharoah’ from First Line Seeds
(Moses Lake, WA), ‘VA-T1-Brown’ from Hankins Seed (Bonanza, OR), ‘Tiffany’ from
Target Seeds (Parma, ID), and ‘X9’ and ‘XP10’ from United Seed Services (Caldwell,
ID). At each location the experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block with
eight replications at Klamath Falls, six replications at Ontario, and five replications at
Othello.
Klamath Falls
Teff was planted on a Poe fine sandy loam soil on June 12 using a Kincaid
(Kincaid Equipment Manufacturing) plot planter with a small-seed cone attachment at a
seeding rate of 6 lb/ac. The previous crop was spring wheat in 2005. All plots were
fertilized with 50 lb/acre N, 63 lb/acre P2O5, and 41 lb/acre S banded at planting
(applying 16-20-0-13 fertilizer at 310 lb/acre). Weedmaster® herbicide (dicamba + 2,4-D
amine, BASF) was applied at 1.0 pint/ac on July 10, thus applying dicamba at 0.125 lb
ai/ac plus 2,4-D at 0.36 lb ae/ac. No crop injury was apparent at any time after spraying.
Immediately after first cutting, ammonium sulfate was applied on August 4 at 250 lb/ac
(supplying 52 lb/acre N and 60 lb/acre S. Irrigation and precipitation amounts during the
growing season are shown in Table 2.
The first teff cutting was made on August 3 and second cutting was made on
September 13. At each cutting date, seedheads were just beginning to emerge. Forage
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 32
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
fresh weights were measured immediately in the field and samples were collected from
each plot for drying to correct yields to a dry weight basis as well as perform forage
quality analysis. After drying and weighing, samples were ground to 2-mm-sieve size in a
Wiley Mill (Arthur H. Thomas Co.) and to 1-mm-sieve size in an Udy Mill (UDY
Corporation) before being analyzed in a near infrared spectrophotometer (NIRS)
(NIRSystems, FOSS, NA, Minneapolis, MN) to determine forage quality. Quality testing
at KBREC is accomplished using the NIRS and equations developed by the NIRS
Consortium, Madison, WI. Calculated forage quality parameters included crude protein
(CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), relative feed value
(RFV) and relative forage quality (RFQ). We used NIRS equations developed for other
grasses due to the limited data available for teff.
Ontario
The teff experiment was planted on June 6, 2006 on Nyssa silt loam. The previous
crop was teff in 2005. Seedbed preparation included disking and cultivating. Seed was
broadcast at a rate of 6 lb/acre by using an Earthway hand fertilizer spreader, and was
incorporated only by irrigation droplet impact on the bare soil. Nitrogen was applied as
urea at 50 lb N/ac on June 7 (at planting) plus an additional 50 lb N/ac on July 26 (just
after the first harvest). Soil tests in the spring indicated soil P, K, and S levels were not
limiting. Sporadic infestations of barnyard grass were controlled with hand-weeding.
Small broadleaf weeds were controlled with an application of Bronate Advanced
herbicide (bromoxynil + MCPA, Bayer) on June 28 at 1.0 pt/acre, thus applying
bromoxynil and MCPA at 0.31 lb ai/ac each. No crop injury was apparent after spraying.
Teff was harvested when seed heads were beginning to emerge. First cutting was
on July 25 and the second cutting was on September 12. Plots were harvested using a
Jari sickle bar mower set to cut the teff at a height of 3 inches. Plots were 20 ft long by
2.5 ft wide. A sample of approximately 1.0 lb of forage was taken from each plot and
oven dried to determine moisture and calculate dry matter (DM) yield.
Othello
The teff plots were planted on June 8 on a Ritzville silt loam using a hand
fertilizer spreader followed by rolling. All plots were fertilized with 115 lb/acre N, 40
lb/acre P2O5, and 40 lb/acre K2O cultivated in just prior to planting, followed by the same
fertilizer and rate broadcast just after first cutting. To control broadleaf weeds, generic 2,
4-D herbicide was applied at 1.5 pt/ac (0.71 lb ae/ac) about July 1. No crop injury was
apparent after spraying, but observations suggested that crop growth may have slowed for
a short time after herbicide application.
The first cutting was made on August 4 and second cutting was made on September 13
with a walk-behind sickle bar mower. In both cases the plots were cut when seedheads
were just beginning to emerge. Samples were dried from each plot for moisture
correction. Quality analysis was done the same as at the other sites, except that samples
for quality analysis were not saved from first cutting. Thus quality analysis is limited to
second cutting only for the Othello site.
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 33
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Statistical Analysis
Statistics on yield and quality data were calculated for each location using SAS®
for Windows, Release 9.1 (SAS Institute, Inc.) software. Treatment significance was
based on the F test at the P = 0.05 level. If this analysis indicated significant treatment
effects, least significant difference (LSD) values were calculated based on the student’s t
test at the 5 percent level.
Results and Discussion
Klamath Falls
Observed differences in yield between teff types were not statistically significant
for first cutting, second cutting, or annual total. Yields were clearly higher for second
cutting for all entries (Table 3). For quality parameters, differences between entries were
only significant for ADF for first cutting, and RFQ at both cuttings (Tables 4 and 5). RFV
differences were nearly significant for first cutting. Disregarding statistical significance,
XP10 had the highest crude protein, RFV, and RFQ values for both cuttings. CP was
higher for first cutting than second for all entries, while other quality parameters were
very similar between first and second cuttings.
Ontario
Observed differences in yield between teff types were not statistically significant
for first cutting, second cutting, or annual total. Unlike the results at Klamath Falls, yields
were higher for first cutting for all entries (Table 6). For quality parameters, differences
between entries were only significant for NDF and RFV for first cutting (Tables 7 and 8).
Disregarding statistical significance, XP10 had the lowest CP on both cutting dates, the
exact opposite of the result at Klamath Falls. Dessie had the highest CP on both dates.
Entries exhibiting relatively good RFV or RFQ on one cutting tended to have
lower RFV or RFQ for the other cutting. As in Klamath Falls, CP values were higher for
all entries at first cutting compared to second, while other quality parameters were similar
between first and second cuttings.
Othello
Observed differences in yield between teff types were not statistically significant
for first cutting, second cutting, or annual total. As occurred at Klamath Falls, mean yield
for all entries at Othello was higher for second cutting than for first cutting (Table 9).
Differences in quality were not significant for any parameter at second cutting (Table 10).
Crude protein at second cutting at Othello was similar to the higher levels found at
second cutting at Klamath Falls, but RFV and RFQ were more similar to the lower levels
found at second cutting at Ontario.
Conclusion
Teff grew well and produced good yields and quality at all three locations
representing different climate types in the PNW. Total yield was highest at Othello,
followed by Klamath Falls and then Ontario, although differences between locations were
small. Second cutting yields at Klamath Falls and Othello were higher than first cutting,
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 34
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
whereas the opposite was true at Ontario. This result is interesting since the growth
period between planting and first cutting was shorter at Ontario (49 days) compared to
Othello (57 days) and Klamath Falls (52 days). The reverse occurred for second cutting,
where the second cutting yields were higher where the regrowth periods were shorter (40
days at Othello and 41 days at Klamath Falls). Conversely, the second cutting yield was
lower than first cutting at Ontario, despite the longer regrowth period at that site (49
days).
References
Roseberg, R.J., S. Norberg, J.E. Smith, B.A. Charlton, K.A. Rykbost, and C. Shock.
2006. Yield and quality of teff forage as a function of varying rates of applied
irrigation and nitrogen. In: Research in the Klamath Basin 2005 Annual Report.
OSU-AES Special Report 1069:119-136.
2005. Zenk, Peg. Tons of teff. Hay & Forage Grower. February 2005. p.4.
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 35
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 1. Site comparison for 2006 teff variety trial locations.
Klamath Falls1
Ontario1
Othello2,3
42 1'
121 4'
4100
1250
43 6'
117 0'
2260
689
46 8'
119 2'
1100
335
Poe fine sandy loam
Nyssa silt loam
Ritzville silt loam
Mean Frost-Free Season (50th percentile)
110
155
149
2006 Frost-Free Season
131
186
169
68 / 40
78 / 48
86 / 53
80 / 46
76 / 39
75 / 48
84 / 58
97 / 65
89 / 57
79 / 48
72 / 45
78 / 52
91 / 58
87 / 54
79 / 50
Monthly Precip
May
June
July
August
Sept
0.11
0.35
0.01
0.28
0
0.51
0.32
0
0.06
0.41
1.83
0.84
0.04
0
0.16
Monthly accum Et (Kimberly-Penman)
May
June
July
August
Sept
6.76
8.52
9.47
7.61
5.19
8.5
9.9
12.6
9.86
6.05
6.96
7.51
10.89
8.65
5.37
Latitude
Longitude
Elevation (ft)
Elevation (m)
Soil Series
2006 Mean Daily High/Low Temps
May
June
July
August
Sept
1
Oregon Climate Service data used for long-term KF and Ontario data.
2
Western Regional climate center data for Othello 6ESE site used for Othello long term data.
3
Lind Wa Agrimet data used for Othello 2006 data.
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 36
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 2. Irrigation and precipitation amounts for the teff variety trial, 2006.
Month
Klamath
Precip
Klamath
Irrig
Ontario
Precip
May
June
July
August
Sept
0.11
0.35
0.01
0.28
0
0
3.92
6.93
6.23
0
0.51
0.32
0
0.06
0.41
Ontario
Irrig
Othello
Precip
Othello
Irrig
1.83
0.84
0.04
0
0.16
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 37
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 3. 2006 yield summary for the teff variety trial, at the Klamath Basin Research and Extension
Center, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
Aug 3
Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13
Rank
Total
Yield
Rank
12046
11815
11751
11883
11903
11576
1
4
5
3
2
6
Yield lbs/ac
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
5055
5134
5131
5027
4981
4921
5041
0.969
568
11.1
3
1
2
4
5
6
6992
6681
6620
6857
6922
6655
1
4
6
3
2
5
6788
0.858
726
10.5
11829
0.975
1133
9.4
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 38
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 4. 2006 crude protein, ADF, and NDF summary for the teff variety trial, at the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center,
Klamath Falls, OR.
Variety
Cut 1
Aug 3 Rank
Seed source
Cut 2
Sept 13
Rank
Cut 1
Aug 3 Rank
Crude Protein
Cut 2
Sep 13 Rank
Cut 1
Aug 3 Rank
ADF
Cut 2
Sep 13 Rank
NDF
VA-T1-Brown
Hankins Seed
14.6
3
12.3
4
37.0
5
37.9
2
58.5
5
58.7
4
Tiffany
Target Seed
13.6
6
12.0
6
37.6
3
37.6
3
59.4
2
58.9
2
Pharoah
1st Line Seeds
14.7
2
12.5
2
37.1
4
37.6
4
58.6
4
58.7
5
Dessie
1st Line Seeds
13.6
5
12.4
3
38.6
1
38.1
1
60.5
1
59.6
1
X9
United Seed
13.9
4
12.3
5
37.7
2
37.6
5
59.3
3
58.8
3
XP10
United Seed
15.0
1
12.7
1
36.2
6
37.0
6
58.0
6
58.5
6
Mean
14.2
12.4
37.4
37.6
59.0
58.9
P value
0.246
0.788
0.007
0.532
0.129
0.421
LSD (0.05)
1.5
0.9
1.2
1.2
1.9
1.1
CV (%)
10.5
7.5
3.1
3.0
3.1
1.8
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 39
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 5. 2006 RFV, and RFQ summary for the teff variety trial, at the Klamath Basin Research and Extension
Center, Klamath Falls, OR.
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
Aug 3
Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Cut 1
Aug 3
Rank
RFQ
RFV
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
96
93
96
91
94
97
94
0.052
4
4.5
2
5
3
6
4
1
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
94
94
94
92
94
96
94
0.401
3
2.9
4
5
2
6
3
1
105
106
105
95
104
108
104
<.0001
4
3.9
3
2
4
6
5
1
101
103
103
91
103
104
5
3
2
6
4
1
101
<.0001
5
4.9
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 40
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 6. 2006 yield summary for the teff variety trial, at the Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR.
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
July 25 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 12 Rank
Total
Yield
Rank
10530
10150
9243
10200
10737
9910
2
4
6
3
1
5
Yield lbs/acre
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
5717
5977
5390
5977
5883
6120
5844
0.202
600
8.6
5
2
6
3
4
1
4817
4173
3853
4223
4847
3790
2
4
5
3
1
6
4284
0.246
1112
21.8
10128
0.404
1481
12.3
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 41
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 7. 2006 crude protein, ADF, and NDF summary for the teff variety trial, at the Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR.
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
July 25 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 12
Rank
Cut 1
July 25 Rank
Crude Protein
Cut 2
Sept 12 Rank
Cut 1
July 25 Rank
ADF
Cut 2
Sept 12 Rank
NDF
VA-T1-Brown
Hankins Seed
12.2
3
8.7
2
42.2
5
41.5
3
60.4
4
62.0
2
Tiffany
Target Seed
11.2
5
8.1
5
42.3
3
41.8
2
62.3
2
61.6
4
Pharoah
1st Line Seeds
11.8
4
8.1
4
42.5
2
41.2
5
61.2
3
60.6
6
Dessie
1st Line Seeds
12.6
1
8.9
1
42.2
4
41.5
4
60.3
5
62.1
1
X9
United Seed
12.5
2
8.2
3
41.9
6
42.0
1
60.2
6
61.9
3
XP10
United Seed
11.0
6
8.1
6
42.8
1
40.8
6
62.8
1
61.0
5
Mean
11.9
8.4
42.3
41.5
61.2
61.5
P value
0.135
0.972
0.842
0.374
0.004
0.357
LSD (0.05)
1.4
2.4
1.5
1.2
1.5
1.6
CV (%)
10.2
24.5
2.9
2.3
2.1
2.2
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 42
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 8. 2006 RFV and RFQ summary for the teff variety trial, at the Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
July
25
Cut 2
Sept
12 Rank
Rank
Cut 1
July
25 Rank
RFV
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
86
84
85
86
87
82
85
0.048
3
3.3
3
5
4
2
1
6
Cut 2
Sept
12 Rank
RFQ
85
85
87
85
85
87
86
0.206
3
2.7
5
3
1
4
6
2
92
92
91
91
94
89
91
0.175
4
4.0
2
3
5
4
1
6
90
89
91
88
90
90
4
5
1
6
3
2
90
0.896
7
6.4
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 43
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 9. 2006 yield summary for the teff variety trial in Othello, WA.
Variety
Seed source
Cut 1
Aug 4 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Total
Yield Rank
Yield lbs/acre
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
4652
4353
4746
5387
4470
4102
4618
0.638
1564
25.7
3
5
2
1
4
6
7428
7427
7612
8350
7256
7718
4
5
3
1
6
2
7632
0.498
1201
11.9
12080
11780
12358
13737
11726
11819
3
5
2
1
6
4
12250
0.417
1
13.7
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 44
Research in the Klamath Basin
20 06 Annual Report
Table 10. 2006 CP, ADF, NDF, RFV, and RFQ summary for the teff variety trial in Othello,WA.
Variety
VA-T1-Brown
Tiffany
Pharoah
Dessie
X9
XP10
Mean
P value
LSD (0.05)
CV (%)
Seed source
Hankins Seed
Target Seed
1st Line Seeds
1st Line Seeds
United Seed
United Seed
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
Cut 2
Sept 13 Rank
CP
ADF
NDF
RFV
RFQ
13.0
12.6
12.6
12.4
12.6
12.2
12.5
0.986
NSD
12.4
1
2
3
5
4
6
40.2
40.8
40.6
40.6
41.0
40.1
40.5
0.950
NSD
3.9
5
2
3
4
1
6
64.6
65.5
65.3
65.6
66.0
65.8
65.5
0.880
NSD
2.6
6
4
5
3
1
2
83
81
82
81
80
83
82
0.931
NSD
4.9
1
4
3
5
6
2
82
87
80
78
88
86
4
2
5
6
1
3
84
0.200
NSD
7.2
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Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center
Yield and Forage Quality of Six Teff Seed Brands
Grown in Three Pacific Northwest Environments, 2006 Page 45