Geo 509 - Major Paper
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to analyze and illustrate the geographical origins of eragrostis tef along with details of its global dispersion. The common name of the crop in Ethiopia is tef. It was chosen for its cultural significance and it’s importance
Background
In Ethiopia, about 4.9 million acres of land is devoted to its production every year. From 2003-2005 production statistics indicated that tef accounted for about 29% of the land and 20% of the gross grain production of all major cereal cultivation in the country (National Research Council).
Eragrostis tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae, and is species of Eragrostis. It contains about 350 species and tef is the only cultivated cereal (Seyfu).
Its name tef is originated from the Amharic word yate-tef-ah, which means, “lost”. Since the grains are so small they are easily misplaced (Kloman). It is the world’s smallest food grain and is as small as a grain of sand. It also has quite similar traits to other grains such as quinoa and millet.
Tef grows anywhere from 30 to 120 cm in height, with slim stems and long, narrow, smooth leaves. It is a loose or compact panicle. The really small grains are 1.5 mm long, and there are about 2,700 seeds in a gram (Seyfu).
The plant uses a Carbon 4 photosynthesis, which uses light efficiently while having low moisture demands. This gives the plant the ability to stand high heat and bright lighting therefore able to harvest in any unpredictable or difficult climate. Also the plant's resistance to diseases, pests, and heavy soils and it’s inexpensive costs to raise and very quick to produce give it special appeal (Tadele).
Tef tends to thrive under growing condition from elevations that range from sea-level to as high as 2800 meters, and in various temperatures, soil, terrains and rainfall conditions (not where there is too much rainfall though) (Seyfu).
Varieties of Tef * Magna (white)
The purpose of this report is to analyze and illustrate the geographical origins of eragrostis tef along with details of its global dispersion. The common name of the crop in Ethiopia is tef. It was chosen for its cultural significance and it’s importance
Background
In Ethiopia, about 4.9 million acres of land is devoted to its production every year. From 2003-2005 production statistics indicated that tef accounted for about 29% of the land and 20% of the gross grain production of all major cereal cultivation in the country (National Research Council).
Eragrostis tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae, and is species of Eragrostis. It contains about 350 species and tef is the only cultivated cereal (Seyfu).
Its name tef is originated from the Amharic word yate-tef-ah, which means, “lost”. Since the grains are so small they are easily misplaced (Kloman). It is the world’s smallest food grain and is as small as a grain of sand. It also has quite similar traits to other grains such as quinoa and millet.
Tef grows anywhere from 30 to 120 cm in height, with slim stems and long, narrow, smooth leaves. It is a loose or compact panicle. The really small grains are 1.5 mm long, and there are about 2,700 seeds in a gram (Seyfu).
The plant uses a Carbon 4 photosynthesis, which uses light efficiently while having low moisture demands. This gives the plant the ability to stand high heat and bright lighting therefore able to harvest in any unpredictable or difficult climate. Also the plant's resistance to diseases, pests, and heavy soils and it’s inexpensive costs to raise and very quick to produce give it special appeal (Tadele).
Tef tends to thrive under growing condition from elevations that range from sea-level to as high as 2800 meters, and in various temperatures, soil, terrains and rainfall conditions (not where there is too much rainfall though) (Seyfu).
Varieties of Tef * Magna (white)
Bibliography: Seyfu, Ketema. Tef, Eragrostis Tef (Zucc.) Trotter. Rome, Italy: IPGRI, 1997. Print. National Research Council. Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 1. Washington: National Academy, 1996. Print. Grains. Kloman, Harry. Mesob across America: Ethiopian Food in the U.S.A. New York: IUniverse, 2010. Print. Bai, Guihua, Mulu Ayele, Hailu Tefera, and Henry T. Nguyen. "Genetic Diversity in Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc) Trotter] and Its Relatives as Revealed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs." Euphytica 112.1 (2000): 15-22. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1 Mar. 2000. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. . Ingram, Amanda L., and Jeff J. Doyle. "The Origin and Evolution of Eragrostis Tef (Poaceae) and Related Polyploids: Evidence from Nuclear Waxy and Plastid Rps16." American Journal of Botany 90.1 (2003): 116-22. Print. Assefa, Kebebew, Ju-Kyung Yu, Getachew Belay, Hailu Tefera, and Mark E. Sorrells. "Breeding Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc.) Trotter]: Conventional and Molecular Approaches." Plant Breeding 130.1 (2010): 1-9. Print. Tadele, Zerihun. New Approaches to Plant Breeding of Orphan Crops in Africa: Proceedings of an International Conference, 19-21 September, 2007, Bern, Switzerland. Berlin: Stämpfli, 2009. Print. Alaunyte, Ieva, Valentina Stojceska, Andrew Plunkett, Paul Ainsworth, and Emma Derbyshire. "Improving the Quality of Nutrient-rich Teff (Eragrostis Tef) Breads by Combination of Enzymes in Straight Dough and Sourdough Breadmaking."Journal of Cereal Science 55.1 (2012): 22-30. Print. Engels, Jan, J. G. Hawkes, and Melaku Worede. Plant Genetic Resources of Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print. Wax, Emily. "As Americans Embrace Ethiopian Cuisine, Its Farmers Grow More Teff."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 31 July 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. .