Teff: a healthy crop of the century–challenges and opportunities for enhancing productivity under climate change

Abstract

Teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) is a staple grain for about 89 million people in Ethiopia. It is widely recognized for its nutrient-dense and gluten-free nature, stress tolerance, long storage life, and climate-smart properties and is preferred by both producers and consumers. Conversely, it is low-yielding, restricted to certain areas, underdeveloped, and underutilized. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to review the major constraints hampering its utilization and the main opportunities to improve its productivity in the face of climate change. In this review, teff genetic resources, production status, nutritional profile, economic importance, teff research and released varieties, and the main bottlenecks that contribute to the low productivity of teff are thoroughly summarized. Particularly, the intrinsic complexes (e.g., lodging, extremely delicate and small-sized flowers, minute seed size, and shattering) and extrinsic factors (drought, soil acidity and alkalinity, and some pests) that hinder teff productivity are well discussed. Alternatively, the existence of huge genetic diversity, wide adaptability, plasticity, and the application of new breeding technologies for teff improvement under climate change are well discussed as promising opportunities. Generally, the development of high-yielding, lodging-tolerant, and extra-early-maturing teff varieties and the promotion of teff food use as a healthy gluten-free crop are important to consider in future breeding interventions.