The Influence of Agronomic Practices and Environmental Conditions on Growth and Development of Teff.

Teff (Erogrostis tef (Zucc.), where it is commonly grown as a grain crop in Ethiopia where it provides two-third of the human nutrition. Teff is adapted to a wide range of climatic and soil  conditions.  Teff can also provide a crop in a relatively short growing season and will produce both grain for human consumption and  forage for cattle. Teff is a relatively new crop in the US. Therefore, limited information is available on factors such as cultural practices and environmental conditions affecting developmental stages, biomass, and quality of Teff.  The overall objective of the experiment is to identify the adaptive range and climatic conditions for producing Teff for grazing and hay. Specific objectives include: to evaluate the relationships among temperature, growth and development in Teff.  Preliminary experiment conducted in Beaver, West Virginia dealing with planting dates showed establishment failure for Teff planted in May and early June.  The failure to establish was attributed to less than optimum temperature at planting.