Assessment of recently released soybean varieties through farmer’s field demonstrations plots in Angónia and Tsangano Districts in Tete Province, Mozambique

Demonstration plot is an international method of participatory variety selection (PVS) which allows farmers to select the given variety/varieties rendering its traits enhanced from breeding programmes. This research used this method to assess recently released Soybean varieties through farmers in Angónia and Tsangano districts in Tete Province, Mozambique. The main aim of this research was to assess the freshly released better-quality Soybean varieties Wamini and Zamboane according its production technologies on-farm by comparation with the present variety called Storm. The research involved 40 farmers that were randomly selected to host the demonstrations. The recently soybean varieties Wamini and Zamboane performed well and gave mean yields of 3086.6 kg/ha and 2850.4 kg/ha, respectively. The current variety recorded a yield average of 2367.4 kg/ha and showed yield benefit over the control. The highest augmentation of production (719.2 kg/ha) was recorded through Wamini variety with a 30.5% yield benefit over the control (Storm) and the lowest yield aumentation was 482.8 kg/ha with a 20.4% yield advantage by Zamboane. It is recommended that Mozambique Government should popularize those two new varieties amongst a large number of farmers. Keywords: Demonstration, improved, soybean, varieties