Editing Teff (section)

==Description==
''Eragrostis tef'' is a self pollinated [[tetraploid]]<ref name="Bultosa2016" /> annual [[cereal grass]].<ref name="Stallknecht1993">{{cite journal| last1=Stallknecht|first1=G.F.| last2= Gilbertson| first2=Kenneth M.| last3= Eckhoff|first3=J.L.|year=1993|editor-last=Janick|editor-first=J.|editor2-last=Simon|editor2-first=J.E.|title=Teff: Food Crop for Humans and Animals| url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-231.html| journal= New Crops| publisher= Wiley| pages= 231–234}}</ref> Teff is a [[C4 carbon fixation|{{C4}} plant]],<ref name= "Bultosa2016">{{Cite book| title= Encyclopedia of Food Grains| last= Bultosa|first=G.|publisher=Academic Press| year=2016| isbn= 9780123947864| editor-last= Wrigley| editor-first=Colin W. |edition=2nd| location= Kidlington, Oxford, UK| pages= 209 ff| chapter=Teff: Overview| oclc=939553708|quote=Teff is a C4 self-pollinated tetraploid cereal plant with a chromosome number of 2n=4x=20.|editor-last2=Corke|editor-first2=Harold|editor-last3= Seetharaman|editor-first3= Koushik| editor-last4=Faubion|editor-first4= Jonathan|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ce7tBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA209}}</ref> which allows it to more efficiently fix carbon in drought and high temperatures, and is an intermediate between a tropical and temperate grass.<ref name="Ketema1997">{{Cite book|url=https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/_migrated/uploads/tx_news/Tef_Eragrostis_tef__Zucc.__Trotter_279.pdf|title=Tef, Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter| last=Ketema| first= Seyfu| publisher=Bioversity International |others=Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPGRI)|year=1997|isbn=9290433043|series=Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops|volume=12|location=Rome |oclc=37605548|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180717070802/https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/_migrated/uploads/tx_news/Tef_Eragrostis_tef__Zucc.__Trotter_279.pdf|archive-date=2018-07-17|url-status=live}}</ref> The name teff is thought to originate from the [[Amharic]] word {{lang|am|ጠፍፋ}} ''teffa'', which means "lost".<ref name= "Stallknecht1993" /><ref name= brit>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica| year= 2016| title=Teff, Grain | url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/teff | accessdate= 14 November 2018}}</ref> This probably refers to its tiny seeds, which have a diameter smaller than {{cvt|1|mm}}.<ref name=brit/> Teff is a fine-stemmed, tufted grass with large crowns and many [[tiller (botany)|tillers]]. Its roots are shallow, but develop a massive fibrous rooting system.<ref name=brit/> The plant height varies depending on the cultivation variety and the environmental conditions.<ref name=Ketema1997/> As with many ancient crops, teff is quite adaptive and can grow in various environmental conditions;<ref name=Ketema1997/> particularly, teff can be cultivated in dry environments, but also under wet conditions on marginal soils.<ref name=brit/>

Teff originated in the [[Ethiopian Highlands]], and it is one of the most important cereals in [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]].<ref name="nrc">{{cite book |author= National Research Council |title=Lost Crops of Africa: Volume I: Grains |url= http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2305&page=222 |access-date=18 July 2008 |volume=1 |date=14 February 1996 |publisher=National Academies Press |isbn=978-0-309-04990-0 |doi= 10.17226/2305|pages=222 |chapter= Tef |chapter-url= http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2305&page=215 }}</ref> It is grown for its edible seeds and also for its straw to feed the cattle.<ref name=brit/> The seeds are very small, about a millimeter in length, and a thousand grains weigh approximately {{cvt|0.3|g}}.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1= Sadik|first1=J.A.|last2=Demelash|first2=Biresaw|last3=Gizaw|first3=Mengistu|year=2012|title=Hydration kinetics of teff grain|url=https://cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/viewFile/2272/1719|journal=Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal| volume= 15| issue=1|pages=124–130}}</ref> They can have a color from a white to a deep reddish brown.<ref name="Ketema1997" /> Teff is similar to [[millet]] and [[quinoa]] in cooking, but the [[seed]] is much smaller and cooks faster, thus using less fuel.<ref name="Gonzales2011" />